Zootopia: Project Genesis
by Ineedmoretime
Summary: The apocalypse has come for humans. It came a long time ago. When the apex predators that were humans are no longer on earth, other animals evolve to take control. Now, as researchers from Zootopia find an abandoned ruins filled with artifacts, fossils, and a strange container, they may find that animals were not the first to control the earth. Was rated T before, now rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. Hey all. A Zootopia fanfic is here from yours truly. I do not know exactly how dark this story will end up, so I'm going to start with this as rated T, but I might change my mind. Also, this is a bit of a pilot chapter. If people don't want to read this story, I'll leave this one alone for awhile and focus on my other stories. Anyway, read and review.**

A young man stepped into a large container, the front was made of glass, and the outside was thick metal, lined with lead, and machines inside that monitored his heart and vital signs. His dark grey hair was trimmed short and his eyes were an unnatural shade of gold. He was clothed in a simple white shirt, and a pair of black pants. He wore no shoes, but they were placed next to him. He turned to the front and backed into a padded platform. Men in white lab coats bustled around taking final test measurements and preparing the technology that would keep him in stasis until he was needed.

"William," one said. "Are you prepared?" the man inside nodded. The scientist pushed a few buttons on the panel in front of him. Metal bands began to encircle William, moving under his torso, holding him down as more encircled his legs and arms. They clasped together and the whole container began to lean back on its automated hinging. He felt the cord push into the base of his neck, connecting to the inner cords that connected to a small chip and connecting to his brain. He saw the automated arm that was on the side of the container reach over with a needle. He felt needle pierce his skin and the injection that would keep him in stasis was injected. It would take a few minutes to work, but it would work.

"William," the scientist said. "Remember this, when you wake up, you have your weapons in the chest along with your personal belongings. They are in the compartment directly besides you. However, if you do not have the immediate time to grab them, a simple staff is stored in the side next to your bed that will be available once you wake up.

"I understand," William said.

"Do you remember your name?" the scientist asked with a smile. It was a running joke between them.

"William Dante Alistair," William said. "I am soldier 037, codenamed Lycaon. I am under the command of project Genesis."

The scientist nodded. "May you find peace when you wake. If you do not, may you cause peace." William felt his eyes close as the injection slowed his heart and the inside began to get colder. Finally, his heart stopped, and frost began to cover the inside of the glass, but by this time, he could not feel it.

* * *

 **Many Years Later**

* * *

In Zootopia, everything was in harmony. Predators and prey got along, and everyone sang kumbaya. Yeah right. In all cities, there's a mess. Whether it's politics, celebrity gossip, crime, or even separation between sects, there's a mess to be found. This was were Nick Wilde, newest hopeful recruit to the Zootopia Police department found himself. Nick prided himself in being calm, cool, and collected, but right now, he was seething.

"How could anyone expect a lying, scheming, no good fox to turn himself around and become a cop?" He heard a cadet quietly whisper. He sat at his lunch table alone, eating quickly and studying from the police manual. His best friend Judy was a help, but he'd need to know all the information himself. That adorable little bunny was the only thing keeping him from dropping this whole idea and going back to the street con.

"This is the first time a fox ever even attempted this," another chimed in. Nick took a quick glance to see a small coyote looking up to a fierce brown bear who had a scowl stretched across her face. "I mean, Officer Hopps was the first Bunny to become an officer, and she was also the valedictorian, and helped with the Night Howler case."

"Yeah?" The bear cut in. "So? Rabbits are different from foxes. It's as simple as that. Rabbits, don't steal consistently. Rabbits don't cause constant trouble. Rabbits don't run street cons on any mammal they find." She glared at Nick and he knew she aimed that last comment on him. He'd been careful in his hussles. He broke no laws that they could pin him on, and when Judy had convinced him to join the force, or at least try to, he had paid off all his debts in that respect. It had cost him a pretty penny, but it had been worth it.

"I'm just saying," the small coyote said quietly. "Maybe he's not like other foxes."

"No, I am," Nick said. "I'm just like other foxes. I use my resources, and I have red fur. That's about all that we all have in common. Oh wait, there is one other thing. Mammals don't like us." He idly turned another page in the manual. Speaking up probably wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done, but he wasn't going to take it lying down.

"You forgot to mention criminal activity," a lioness growled.

"Not all foxes are criminals," Nick countered. "My father, for one, worked his tail off to run his own business. Did so til the day he died. Surprise surprise, his business is burned down with him inside it after his business starts to pick up customers." He looked dead at the group. "So who was the criminal there?" He stood up and walked away. " _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"_ He mentally chastised himself. " _Don't let them get to you. Don't let them see that!"_ He moved to the next training and prepared himself.

* * *

Judy Hopps was happy. She was almost off medical leave! She'd be able to go back to working, and the stupid leg injury she had suffered would be a thing of the past. She hummed a little song as she bounced down the street, choosing a small little prey focused restaurant to get herself some food. As she got in line she saw the Zootopia news being played on a small screen. The headlines read. " _Expedition set in motion!"_

"Just this morning," Fabienne Growly stated. "Another archeological expedition was set into motion as a new young team of hopeful archaeologists began their journey into the South Desert. This desert is seen as the most helpful part of all archaeologists research, having some of the most plentiful in fossils and is a prime location for many aspiring archaeologists."

Peter Moosebridge now took part in the conversation. "That is correct Fabienne, but also, many believe that due to most mammals feeling uneasy in that territory, that there may be something else in that area."

The two mammals moved on to other topics and Judy turned her focus to her order. After that, she sat down at a simple barstool at a table by the window. She looked out the window and placed a set of earbuds in her ears, starting music on her Ipawd. Ever since the Night Howler case, everything had been rather quiet, and Judy liked that.

* * *

Ex-mayor Bellwether was a nervous wreck, not that anyone could tell. She had always been good at acting, and that was all that was keeping her together. She had failed. She had been given a task, and she failed. She was locked away, and was unable to even contact anyone outside. It wasn't right. Predators always had power, as did other large mammals. What she needed was a game changer. Something or someone that could be exploited. All the while theses thoughts raced through her head, she tapped on the metal bed frame.

"Oy!" She heard a lynx guard shout from outside the closed door. "Knock that off!" She complied and the guard shook his head at her. "Bloody ewe." Another guard walked up, wheeling a basket of letters.

"Mail, Bellwether," the guard droned as he pushed a few letters through the mail slot. The ewe perked up slightly. She didn't usually get letters.

"Who're they from?" She asked.

"Don't know, don't care," the guard said as he continued.

"Big meanie," Bellwether muttered as she picked up the letters. Each was marked with the same name, John Doe. "Sounds like a pseudonym," she muttered. She opened the first one.

 _I admire your drive. You had your heart in the right place, but you executed it in a way that didn't get the desired effect. Know that I will continue your work, and you, my role model, will be able to see your work finished._

 _-Nighthowler 1_

She stared at it. Was this some kind of joke? She placed it back in it's envelope and opened the next one.

 _Dawn, I have always looked up to you and you are right. You know what really needs to happen to the filthy preds. You understand. One of the few that understands. Don't worry, we'll finish this for you._

 _-Nighthowler 7_

What the hell? She looked at it again. This couldn't possibly be true. It would exceed her wildest dreams! She quickly placed it back in it's envelope and turned to the third.

 _We stand with you._

 _-Nighthowler 13_

Who were these mammals? Fans? Co-conspirators? Believers in her just cause? She quietly giggled to herself. The name on the front must be a pseudonym, after all, these were three separate letters. She slid them under her pillow quietly as she lay down. She would win, and prey would no longer be the ones crushed under heel.

* * *

Nick struggled to push himself up again off the floor of cadet barracks. He had lost count a long time ago, but as per his usual routine, he would not stop until he could not push himself up again. He felt a paw place itself on his back and push him down again. "Oh let me help you," he heard a sickly sweet voice said. "You're working out?" He began to exert all his strength, but could not move himself.

"Careful," he heard another say. He turned to see a wolf watching him with smug satisfaction. "You don't want to break him. He might go back to his conning ways." He scratched his head with mock thoughtfulness. "Though I think that was his plan anyways." He laughed. "I mean, it's not like a fox could truly be reformed." He sighed. "I guess that stupid bunny wasted her time."

Nick's eyes flashed and he found a newfound strength. He began to push up again and slowly, but steadily he began to raise himself. The wolf's eyes widened and Nick began to growl in exertion. Suddenly the paw increased it's pressure and he was slammed down to the ground. He didn't stop however. He began to push himself up again, and this time, it was harder. The wolf walked over to him and kicked him in the side. With a yelp, Nick impulsively brought his arm in to protect himself and fell to the ground.

"Aw, did the poor little fox fall down?" He turned to see another wolf, this one female, that looked a lot like the other wolf.

"I know I'm not that popular, but you'd think that family would stay together," he laughed. "I mean, the Canidae family would be so disappointed." He chuckled at his joke, referencing their biological similarities.

"True," the wolf said. "But we're truly family," he slung his paw around the female wolf's shoulder. "You're more like the black sheep of the family. Or should I say, the Bellwether, of the family." Nick felt anger spike through him, but he didn't let it show.

"Comparing me to that sheep?" He asked. "Can I say, Ewe?" He laughed again and this time the paw was removed from his back, but soon after, he felt a kick to his ribs that lifted him off the ground. He slammed into the wall and saw stars. He sat up and rubbed his head. When he opened his eyes, the two wolves were gone. Eh, just another pair of assholes. Speciest Mammals were a dime a dozen, what were two more?

"Are you okay?" He looked up to see the same coyote from before. "I just got here and saw you next to the wall, you okay?" he looked at Nick worriedly. "You've got quite the nasty bump there," he said pointing to Nick's head.

"I'm fine," Nick said. "It's not a problem." He stood up, dusted himself off and reached out his paw for a shake. "Nicholas Piberius Wilde, but my friends call me Nick, or a multitude of other nicknames."

The coyote took his paw with a smile. "I'm Richard Lesley Coyote, or Rick. Sometimes people call me Reckless."

"I'm not sure whether to laugh or offer condolences," Nick said. "Lesley?"

"Hey, my brother got it worse," Rick said with a laugh. "His name's Wile Einstein Coyte."

"Wile E. Coyote?" Nick asked. "Wait, is he the comedian that always does that slapstick routine with that roadrunner?"

"Yeah," Rick answered. "He's from Avia City."

"Where's that?" Nick asked.

"It's where the birds live," Rick answered. "And the only reason I know that is because of my brother."

"I've seen a few of your brother's comedy routines, they're pretty damn good," Nick said.

"That's cause he's always been practicing since we were pups," Rick answered. "But enough about me, what happened?"

"Ah, nothing much," Nick said as a lazy smile slid across his face. "Just a couple of jackasses."

"I didn't know any donkey's had enrolled," Rick said with an innocent expression.

"Not that kind of jackass," Nick laughed. "They were just nasty pieces of work, it's fine."

"If you say so," Rick said with a sidelong glance. "Well, it's time that I slept, we're going to be put through hell tomorrow." He walked towards his bunk. "See ya Nick."

"Adios Ricky," Nick answered as he walked to his bunk. He smiled. At least not everyone was an ass. No offence to donkeys.

* * *

Chief Bogo was busy filling out paperwork. Again. He sighed in annoyance at the mounds of paperwork that would have a smaller mammal stumbling under their weight. Honestly, each crime had its own set of paperwork, and with the new cadets coming in soon, it was just more paperwork! He sighed as he took off his glasses to rub his eyes. Honestly, Clawhauser's ramblings weren't as annoying as this. He filled out another sheet and sighed before looking at a picture of his wife and child that he kept on his desk. "You guys are the only reason I keep this job," he sighed. "To make the world a better place, as Hopps would say." He turned back to the paperwork and picked up another file. He opened it and a few crumbs and sprinkles fell onto his desk. "Dammit Clawhauser!"

* * *

Finnick lazed about in his van, idly running his fingers over a pile of cash. He'd been doing it for so long, he knew exactly how much was in it just by running his fingers through it. He'd never been a super spender, always keeping most of his cut hidden for emergencies. The problem was, without Nick, he couldn't do the hustle. Much as he hated to admit it, Nick was the brains of the operation. Had been forever. He idly wondered about becoming a cop too before immediately throwing that idea out the window. He wasn't that crazy, and he'd probably have better luck trying to become a chauffeur. What was that new easy transport app? Pride? He shrugged it off. He'd see if the chauffeur company had any openings tomorrow.

He heard a knock on the door and he grabbed his baseball bat. He opened the door quickly, searching for the culprit and a scowl on his face. "What?" He snarled.

"Hey! Fin!" He looked down to see a wide, cocky smile on a weasel's face with a white undershirt and blue shorts. He had a toothpick in his mouth and Finnick held his breath for a few seconds, trying to calm down like he had to for his anger management classes.

"Weaselton, you've got three seconds to beat it before I beat your ass with my baseball bat!" He snarled. The weasel looked around unsurely, but stayed put. "I said beat it!" He swung his bat and Duke ducked with a yelp. Fin slammed the door shut and walked back up towards the front when another knock on the door sounded. He groaned and walked back. "You'd better have a good reason for bothering me!" he snarled.

"I got some good stuff to sell!" Duke said quickly.

"If you try to sell me another one of your movies," Fin said exasperatedly. "I will hook you up to an air pump and we'll see if the weasel goes POP!"

"It's nothing like that!" Duke said. "I got these!" He held out a bag of small blue flowers.

"What the hell are you doing?" Finnick snarled. "Don't bring that stuff around here! Why the hell do you have that?" He snatched if out of Duke's hand. "We have enough problems without these being brought into the mix!" He shook the bag at Duke.

"That's the problem!" Duke hissed. "Someone called me, told me to pick up a package for them, I of course, got a little curious," he said with a smirk. "But when I opened the box, all there was were these little blue flowers!" He shuddered. "The box is about as big as my duffel bag, a little bigger, and it's filled to the brim with this stuff."

"Why didn't you give it to the cops!" Finnick hissed.

"Uh, hello?" Duke asked. "This is me we're talkin' about, I don't deal with cops."

"Oh really?" Duke whirled around to see a familiar bunny in a simple sleeveless shirt, and leggings, her earbuds and Ipawd in her hand. "Well it's a good thing I'm off duty then." She grabbed the weasel by the scruff of his neck and tossed him into the van before hopping in. "So what's going on?"

"This idiot's got a box of these!" Finnick said holding up a bag of blue flowers. "Recognise them, Bunny Cop?"

"Night Howlers," she muttered. "Weaselton, where's the box?"

"It's at my place," he said. "It's safe, don't worry."

"Then we need to go get it," Judy said. "Finnick, think you can give us a lift?"

Finnick sighed. "Sure, but the weasel stays in the back."

The drive had been short, but they had taken back roads filled with potholes. Judy and Finnick had been fine, but Duke, without a seatbelt on, had been thrown around the van repeatedly, slamming into the ceiling and floor. Each thud and groan giving Finnick a predatory smile.

"You really don't like him do you?" Judy asked Finnick.

"No," he said. "And he's getting it easy."

Within the next ten minutes, the trio was at a small apartment. It was run down, and one of the stairs to the next floor was missing. "That cannot be up to code," Judy said.

"It's the slums," Duke explained. "Who cares? Not the big wigs up top." He walked in and quickly brought out the box. Opening it, Judy was greeted by emptiness. "What?!" he shrieked. "No, no, no nonononononono…. It was right here!" He ran into his apartment and Judy heard crashes and clangs before he ran out again. "They were in my house!" he began to pace. "I need to pack up and move. No more staying here. I'm not getting involved with this shit again!"

"Duke!" Judy called, snapping him out. "How'd they get in?"

"That's just it!" He called. "I don't know!" Even if they came in through the vents, I wouldn't know, because I had to take off all the vent covers last week!"

"So now what?" Finnick asked.

"We still have one bag," Judy said. "But you two are going to have to come down to the station so we can get a statement from you two."

"Uh, no," Duke said. "You've got your little recording pen, just use that, I'm not going to the station. I've been there enough times."

"Duke," Finnick said. "This is the same stuff that almost got Nick sent to a mental hospital for life, and almost cost Judy her life. I'm going in with her, and if you don't I'll hit you with my bat, and drag you there by your tail myself!"

Judy glanced at Finnick with shock, he never used her real name. "Let's go," Judy said. The others hopped in the van and Finnick pulled out, going towards the police station, just over the speed limit. "I'm surprised you follow traffic laws," Judy said with a smirk.

"I'd rather not get arrested or even SEE a cop before we get to the station, Bunny Cop," Finnick growled. "So yes, I'm going the speed limit."

"What about you Duke?" Judy asked. Silence greeted her. She turned around and saw an empty back. "Where'd he go?" she wondered.

"Son of a bitch!" Finnick cursed. "He ran! That cheating, lying, piece of-"

"We still have the evidence," Judy said. "And because he ran, we can get a warrant for him as a missing persons if we can't find him."

"I hope you're wrong about this nighthowler business, Bunny," Finnick growled.

"So do I Finnick," Judy said quietly. "So do I."

* * *

Several Mammals carefully dug through the sand, having found many other artifacts already. They could read most texts that they found, having found many different artifacts through previous years. Green signs talking about a highway, signs proclaiming businesses, and though most books and papers had been destroyed, they had been able to find some that had been carefully stored and were in good condition. It was these books that allowed for most all mammals to speak the same language. After all when the different species stayed split up long ago, they each had their own language. As many species found these artifacts and learned to read them together, the language became the common language that was spoken today. After all, why bother learning another species language, when the other species also learned to speak the same dead language as you. It was just easier to adopt that language, and it helped with the reading of artifacts.

"Found anything yet?" An echidna asked.

"Not yet," a dingo replied. "This place is supposed to be a gold mine of knowledge, but so far, nothing.

"Well we can't stop yet," a small hare said as he shoved a spade into the sand. "We'll find something."

"Easy for you to say," a bear countered. "You haven't been out here working all day."

"Yeah I have," the hare replied. "You buried me in sand two hours ago remember? I had to spend an hour digging myself out."

"Oh shut up both of you," A raccoon gripped. "Now keep digging, we've only got a few hours before the sun sets and we'll have to stop then anyway."

They continued to dig, each one carefully moving each shovelful of sand away, though some of it always slid back in. As the raccoon pushed her shovel back in she heard a dull thunk. "Hold up!" She called. She quickly bent down and pushed the sand to the side with her paws. It took a few minutes, but she was greeted by the sight of a dull piece of metal. "I found something."

"About time," the echidna scoffed as she walked over.

"Hey!" The hare called. "Can someone fish me out?" He was in the bottom of a pit he had dug in the short time, but was unable to climb out as the sand kept shifting.

"I got it," the bear sighed as he held out his shovel for the hare to grab. As he pulled the hare out, the others moved to the raccoon and began to help her dig out the sand. As they moved more and more sand, the metal kept showing up, and as the pit got bigger, they still hadn't revealed anything.

"The hell?" The dingo muttered. "How big is this thing?"

"Don't know," the hare grunted. "But we might need some more help with this."

"No," the raccoon said. "This is where the sand is at its lowest, so the next time the wind even begins to blow, and this whole thing will be covered in a few dozen feet of sand."

"So what?" The hare complained. "We have to dig this whole thing out now?"

"We have to find an opening," the raccoon said. "Then we can place a tracker so we can find this place again later."

"Makes sense," the hare said. He walked a few feet and resumed digging out the sand, careful not to hit the structure. However, his shovel continued to sink, past the metal they stood on. "Hey guys!" he said. "I found the edge." The others stopped and began to help the hare to dig out the side. They continued, digging the pit around them. "How deep are we?" the echidna asked.

"Deep," the bear said. "I'd say at least twenty feet."

"Twenty of your feet or mine?" The hare snarked as he dug.

"Oh shut up all of you," the raccoon snapped. She saw the top of some kind of edge, like that of a door. "Keep digging." They continued, digging down farther and farther until they revealed a door. It had been long, and the sand they had removed seemed to already be moving back in.

"How're we going to keep the sand out?" The hare asked.

"Go grab a tarp," the racoon said.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" The hare snapped. "We kinda just dug ourselves into a pit!" The bear picked him up and the hare struggled at the action. "Hey, what're you doing?" The bear then heaved and the hare went soaring up and over the edge of the pit. The others waited for a few seconds. "Ha, ha. Very funny. Assholes." He pulled a tarp to the edge and tossed it down. "Now what?" He asked.

"Slide the weights down the side," the racoon said. The hare dropped down a few weights for the tarp and then slid down. They stretched the tarp over the door and the hare, the bear holding him up, placed weights on the tarp on top of the structure. The raccoon stretched it out in a slope and placed weights on the bottom to hold it in place and the mammals walked to the door. It was made of metal and seemed to be shut tight.

"How do we open the door?" The dingo asked.

"I got it," the bear grumbled. He dug his claws into the cracks of the door and began to pull them apart. At least he tried to. Unfortunately, they were sealed tight. He grunted and strained at the doors. "They're not budging," he growled.

"Looks like we'll need some help," the raccoon said with a scowl. "Hey Little John, toss Skippy up their again. She turned to the hare, "Get the twins, they've got to have some kind of tech to help with this."

"My name's not John," the bear huffed. "It's Jackson."

"Hey, at least you're last name's Johnson," the hare countered. "She keeps calling me Skippy for some reason. My name's Harrison. Seriously, it's not even close to skippy."

The raccoon ignored them. She knew those weren't their names, but it was fun to annoy them. She looked at the door and searched around it. Next to it was some kind of screen, but it was dark. She poked at it gingerly, and nothing happened. She pushed on it a little harder, but still nothing.

"Hey Rachel!" She looked up to see a pair of weasels with a machine in their paws. "You need the door open?"

"Yeah," she called up. "And if you guys try to give me any kind of explosive again, I'll skin you and put it up as an artifact.

"Fine fine," they said. One held the machine and Rachel could see a rope tied around his waist. The other weasel held the rope and as the first weasel began to slide down with the machine, the second kept hold of the other end. As the first weasel came to the bottom he handed the machine to Rachel before running up the side, using the rope as extra leverage.

Rachel picked up the machine and moved to the door. It had a small wedge in the center that she shoved into the crack. Then she booted up the machine and the engine whired to life as it began to spread the doors. The doors shrieked and groaned as they were pried open and eventually the machine could open them no farther. The machine ran down and Rachel took it out. The doors stayed open and they were greeted by darkness. Jackson grabbed one of the doors and began to push, and this time, with more leverage, was able to pull it farther open. He pushed it completely to the side and moved to the other one. He pulled the other open and the other mammals each turned on flashlights.

"Holy shit!" the dingo cursed. "This is the motherload!" All around, the room was in perfect condition from what they could see. Machines were all around and Rachel could see some skeletons that didn't match any mammal she recognised.

"We can't do this alone," she said. "Don," she turned to the dingo. "Call Zootopia. We need way more people, now. Scientists, biologists, engineers, everyone. Get them going on a chopper, as fast as they can. We got here in twelve hours, tell them to make it here faster. Don nodded and ran out the door, running up the incline, slipping slightly, but somehow making it to the top.

"What is this place?" Harrison asked.

"This place?" Rachel replied with a joyful gleam in her eye. "This is the place of knowledge."

 **A.N. Alright, so this is really just a chapter to lay some groundwork. I have other stories I'm working on, so while I'm working on chapters frequently, updates will be sporadic if people want to read this story. Anyway, have a good day, and please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. Okay, here's the next chapter. The first chapter was mostly just setting up this story. But anyway, please read and review, and have fun.**

Chief Bogo was hating paper with a passion right now. Another form, another signature, and every one of these papers would need for him to deal with them personally. He groaned as the stretched his tired hoofs, even modern day scientists didn't understand how mammals with hooves had gained opposable thumbs, but to him, it was just how the world worked. Prey and predator lived side by side, rabbits could become cops, and he had thumbs. It was a place where anything could happen indeed.

He looked at his mug and noted that it was empty. With a groan as he stood up and stretched, he picked up his mug and walked down towards the break room, intending to get a new cup of coffee. "Chief!" he turned to see Officer Hopps racing towards him, a small fennec fox racing after her, his little legs only able to carry him so fast. The fox tripped and skidded a few meters before standing back up and chasing after Hopps.

"What is is Hopps?" Bogo said tiredly as she stopped in front of him. The small fox soon after stopped next to her and hunched over, panting for breath. "And you are still on medical leave."

"Chief," the bunny said. "You need to see this." She lifted a bag of blue flowers.

Immediately the chief had his attention on her. He took the bag from her. "Are these…?"

"Nighthowlers," Hopps replied.

"Where did you get these?" Bogo asked worriedly. This was a huge amount. They were dried too, so they were probably still potent.

"An idiot," Finnick gasped. "By the name of Duke Weaselton," another gasp. "Came to me," he straightened. "He came with that bag and was worried." He took a deep breath. "He was worried because he was given a call." He coughed. "He was told to pick up a package for someone, he didn't know who, and bring it somewhere."

"And?" Bogo pressed.

"He looked inside, saw several bags of these fucking flowers," Finnick answered. "He locked them in his apartment, and brought me this bag. Bunny co- I mean, Officer Hopps heard him and we made him take us to his apartment to get the others."

"Where are they?" Bogo asked.

"That's the problem," Finnick answered. "His apartment was broken into, and the box taken. That bag is the only one we have, and the box probably had at least nine more. We have the box that they came in, but we don't know where the rest of them are." He breathed out and stretched.

"I'll talk to the other precincts," Bogo stated calmly. "But where's this Duke you were talking about?"

"He HATES cops," Finnick snarled. "He bolted while we were driving. Just dropped out the back somehow. You'll probably have to arrest him to get him to even come close to a cop."

"Noted," Bogo replied before turning to Judy. "While this is worrying, I cannot call you in until you are off medical leave. And this does NOT mean go behind my back to follow this. You leave it to on duty officers right now, finish up your medical leave, and you'll be back on the force in a few days."

"Chief," Judy said.

"No, Hopps," Bogo said firmly. "You are one of our best officers, and I will not have you injured and out for longer because you couldn't wait a week." He sighed. "And as luck would have it, that is also when the graduation is for the police academy, so if you want to do something, prepare a speech for then. I'm sure at least one new officer will be glad to see you." He gave her a soft smile. "But thanks for bringing this in." He quickly replaced the smile with his usual scowl. "Now get back home, and don't do anything stupid."

Judy gave a half smile and walked out with Finnick trailing behind her. "How were you winded in the run from your van to here?"

"You're twice the size of me," Finnick grumbled. "And my legs are much shorter than yours. You try running with little legs like mine and see if you can get anywhere."

"Yeah? Like with your van?" Judy asked with a smirk.

"Do you know how expensive it was to get the pedal extensions?!" Finnick yelled. "It cost me a fortune!"

The two walked back toward the Van where Judy said goodbye to Finnick and began to walk down the street towards the police academy.

* * *

Rick had begun to join Nick at mealtimes and the two found themselves forging a strong friendship, he had at least some of the comedic talent of his brother, and Nick was a never ending source of wisecracks that got all but the most stoic of people smiling.

"Hey, Rick," the two turned to see a rhino standing there with his arms crossed. "Why're you sitting here with this fox?" He asked.

"You mean Nick?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," the Rhino answered. "The fox."

"My name is Nick," Nick cut in. "I'd prefer you used it, but if not, there are plenty of other names that aren't just focused on my species."

The rhino ignored him. "Look Rick, I'm tryin' to help you out. Others have got it out for the fox, and while I don't really care one way or the other, I figured I should warn you that if you're hangin' around him, you're gonna get caught up in it too."

"So?" Rick asked. "We're training to become officers. And what do we do? We uphold the law. But how can I hope to uphold the law, if I'm too cowardly to stand up for a fellow officer."

The rhino snorted. "He'll need to be able to stand up for himself."

"I can do that," Nick answered. "But then again, I think mammals are just worried. I mean, the first bunny cop? Then a fox cop? What's this world coming to?" He asked sarcastically. "I mean, heaven forbid that a fox should want to be a law abiding citizen. Why, it's the natural order of things! I mean, foxes are nothing but sneaky, and rhinos can't see what's two feet in front of them."

"Hey!" The rhino said. "I can see just fine, thank you."

"Then why is it hard to believe that I'm not just a low life, worthless, fox?" Nick asked. "It's just the specism that's thrown about these days." He went back to eating. "The reason that most foxes end up criminals? It's because they don't have any other option. Mammals won't hire them. If they score well in school, it's assumed they cheated. Even simple jobs like custodian aren't available to foxes, because it's assumed they'll steal."

"You talk like you know from experience," the rhino scoffed.

"No," Nick said. "I walked the fine line everyday, but I always stayed on the side of the law. That's why my hustles were always good. It was all legal, and if people didn't like it, it was still legal." He sighed. "But most foxes won't do that. They'll be forced to the crimes because they see no other option." He stood up. "So think about that." He walked away and as he passed through the door, Rick turned to the rhino.

"Look here, Wright," Rick said. "I thought you were a good mammal, but I guess if you can't understand a fox trying his best, maybe I was wrong." He quickly followed after Nick.

The rhino, Douglas Wright, thought about this and began to turn to leave, but then he saw a pair of wolves smirk at each other and follow through where the Nick and Rick had gone. He thought about his options, about what Rick had said, and made his choice.

* * *

Nick washed his paws in the sink as he mentally berated himself for losing his control. Don't let them see that they get to had always been his motto, but ever since he got here, it just got harder, but that might be because he'd have to work with these people someday.

"Nick, you in here?" He heard Rick call.

"Yeah," he answered. "Just washing up." He turned off the faucet and turned to see Rick walk in.

"Everything okay?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," Nick replied. "I've dealt with worse mammals before. It's fine." He began to dry his paws and soon after the two walked out. A pair of paws grabbed each of them and they found themselves in the hands of two wolves.

"Hello, Fox," the male spat. "Found a buddy? He's not gonna want to be your buddy for too long."

"This is just like high school," Nick muttered.

"Oh really?" The female asked with a sickly sweet smile. "Is it because they knew not to trust a fox?" Suddenly they were grabbed by two large gray hands, and were lifted up into the air. "Hey!" she shouted. "Put me down!"

"No," the mammal said, Nick recognised the Rhino from before. "Rick's right, if I'm not willing to stand up for a fellow officer, then I'm not deserving of a badge. I'll tell you this once. Leave them alone." He dropped them and they walked away, trying to salvage their damaged pride.

"Uh, thanks," Nick said. He idly scratched his head. Just a few minutes ago, this guy was saying he needed to tough it out, and now he was helping him.

"Just so you know," the rhino said. "I still don't trust you yet. But maybe that's because of prejudice. Either way, prove me wrong." He turned back towards the cafeteria.

"Thanks, Douglas," Rick called. "Well," he turned to Nick. "I guess things really are changing."

* * *

"What do you mean they won't come?" Rachel asked.

"They won't come!" Jackson answered harshly.

"They said we need to bring back something else first to justify pulling more people out here," Harrison continued.

"So what now?" Don called from up top.

"Get down here," Rachel said. She placed a small tracker on the floor and looked around. "We need to find something that'll be able to be transported without being damaged." She took a few steps in farther. "So those machines are out, but we can't just take the bones, that won't be enough." Her superior night vision allowed her to see much farther into the darkness, but it wouldn't help with complete darkness. She took another few steps, and saw her light glint off of something in the back. She continued forward and was greeted by a large container.

"Did you find something?" Jackson asked. He followed after her. "Woah." His larger light illuminated the whole container, revealing a metal structure that was easily as big as he was, possibly bigger.

"What is this?" Harrison asked. "And what's covering it?" He reached out and brushed the white substance on the front. "Shit! That's cold!" He cursed as he pulled back his paw.

"What?" Rachel asked. "That's impossible, we're in the middle of the desert!"

"I'm telling you, it's cold!" Harrison restated. "And if you don't believe me, you touch it!"

Rachel did so and immediately pulled her paw back. "You're right!" She circled the container slowly. She looked down below it and saw that it was not attached to the ground. "We're gonna take this," she said. She moved to the back and saw another black panel like on the outside door but it was lit up bright blue. Better not to touch it. "What's on top?" She asked.

Jackson lifted Harrison up, much to his anger, but the hare could see the top. "There's a small indent, but in the indent is some kind of circular… thing. It's glowing though. Don't know why." The hare was set gratefully down on his feet. "So what's the plan?"

"Can we get this to the helicopter?" Rachel asked.

Jackson looked at it from all angles before nodding. "I think so, but we'll need one of the twin's machines. Probably their big one for carrying things."

"Did they get it fixed?" Rachel asked.

"I think so," Jackson answered. "But I'm not the most technical of guys."

"I'll ask," Harrison said as he ran outside.

Rachel walked back to the front and looked at it. "What secrets do you hold?" She asked it. As expected, it didn't reply. She tried to wipe off what could only be frost, and was greeted by glass. The inside was frosted over too. She sighed disappointedly, but took notice how the front quickly frosted back over. It had definitely been cold, even though she hadn't touched it for long, her fingers already hurt from the cold. How cold though? It had quickly frosted back over after she wiped it off.

"We're ready to go!" Harrison called as he pulled in a machine. "Let's get this thing going!"

* * *

Bellwether giggled as she read another death threat. They were funny to read, especially because a good deal of them were simply copied from various movies. She tossed those letters to the side, not caring over them. She saw another addressed to her from John Doe.

 _Dawn,_

 _I am your biggest fan. Your work was exemplary, using a method that was almost impossible for anyone to trace. It was just bad luck that the stupid cops found out. If I could make one suggestion, cut your losses next time. You can lose the battle, but win the war. But we are still at war, and we need our best general. You will be avenged._

 _-Nighthowler 5_

She smiled and placed that letter with the others marked John Doe. It was so nice to be appreciated.

* * *

Nick had found his trouble with troublemakers gone overnight. With the intervention of Douglas, the wolves had left him alone, and many others simply ignored him. He was fine with that. The graduation would be coming up soon, and then, he'd be out of this hellhole they called training. Seriously, he could deal with the various obstacles, he'd been dealing with them most of his life, with his various lines of work. Sandstorm? Good place to lose anyone after you. Just burrow underneath and you'll be fine. Stuck in Tundra Town? Use your claws for extra footholds, and to beat the cold, use the snow to your advantage. If you burrowed inside there, you could make a rather warm shelter, provided you did it right. Rainforest district to slick? Use your claws and lower your center of gravity. Simple obstacles he could deal with.

The people? Not so much. They sucked. Well, most of them sucked. A few of them seemed nice enough, like Rick, or Douglas, and even a few others. It still didn't change the fact that there were assholes around.

"You excited for graduation?" Rick asked.

"Hell yeah," Nick replied. "I'll be actually a police officer, and I won't be dealing with bullies with an inferiority complex."

"I'm pretty sure you deal with that for life," Douglas said with a small smirk.

"Yeah," Nick admitted. "But it won't be high school."

"How was high school?" Douglas asked.

"Knowledge is a powerful tool," Nick answered. "Know enough people, and know what they don't want known, and your pretty protected. I had to learn quick. I was getting tired of dunks in the toilet bowl."

"Swirlies?" Rick asked with a wince.

"The one and only," Nick replied.

"I can see why you're comparing this to high school," Douglas said.

"The only difference between there and here is that we're gonna actually use what we learn," Nick chuckled.

"Amen to that!" Rick laughed. "So who's gonna be valedictorian? I heard you're up on the leaderboard for it."

"Me?" Nick asked. "Nah, couldn't be. I mean, who'd vote for a fox? They just assume I cheat."

"Well then today's your lucky day," the three turned to see the polar bear instructor, Major Friedkin walking towards them. "When I saw that bunny cop get Valedictorian, I thought I wouldn't see anything more unlikely." She smiled at Nick proudly. "But I'm proud to say I was wrong. This is the first time that a fox has been a cop, and what a cop you will be! Congratulations, Wilde, you've been chosen as Valedictorian."

She clapped him on the back, and Nick stumbled forward at the unexpected congrats though he laughed it off. "Tomorrow's the day," he laughed.

"Yup," she answered. "Now get to your bunks. You're expected to be up bright and early tomorrow, just like usual."

* * *

Scientists watched in awe as the container was brought in. It was amazing! It was colossal, and true to Rachel's word, the front was covered in a thin layer of frost. The top glowed with some unknown energy, but wasn't radioactive in anyway that they could detect.

"You really did find the motherload didn't you," a mongoose halfway asked. Rachel just smiled with pride and gave a thumbs up to the others who were on her team.

"I'd say we should get cracking on this, right?" Rachel asked.

"Sure thing," the mongoose said. "We just need to fill out the paperwork first. We'll be able to do this first thing tomorrow morning."

Rachel shivered in excitement and many of the others high fived as they went about, talking about getting drinks and whatnot. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. A big day indeed.

* * *

Judy stepped into her apartment and yawned. Today had been a normal boring day, but she had been ready the whole time for some kind of call from the chief. Honestly, was the lead she brought a dead end? It would be fine. Tomorrow she'd be back off medical leave and she'd be giving her speech at the graduation. Nick would be valedictorian! She smiled at the thought. She could only imagine his face as he found that out. It would have been priceless!

A ringing from her phone drew her attention. She looked at it to see a muzzletime call from her parents. She accepted the call with a smile and was greeted by the smiles of her parents. "Hey Jude the Dude," her dad said.

"Hey dad, hey mom," Judy said with a smile.

"So how's being back on the force?" Her dad asked.

"Oh, I'm not back yet, I'm still on medical leave. I'll be back on the force tomorrow," Judy explained. "It'll be just in time for the police academy graduation."

"The graduation of a certain fox?" Her mom asked with a smile.

"Yes," Judy answered. "It'll be Nick's graduation."

"Do you two have any special plans?" Her mom continued.

"No," Judy answered. "Why? He's my friend, but he probably has other things to do."

Her mom chuckled. "I just get the feeling that you two would like to do something special." She got a glint in her eye. "Like maybe a movie, or dinner?" She said in a suggestive voice.

"Mom!" Judy laughed.

"I'm kidding I'm kidding," her mother said.

"And that's a little weird," Judy said. "You're usually much more worried than this."

"That's probably because your cousin Harrison just called us and told us that he and his team found an artifact already," her dad explained. "He was ecstatic, and it kinda transferred to your mother."

"Stu!" her mother cried. "You're acting like I've been drinking or something! I can be excited for family."

Judy laughed at her parents antics. "So what'd he find?" She asked.

"He doesn't know," her mom answered. "He said that all they knew was that it was some kind of container and that the front was covered in frost in the middle of the desert! Frost, in the desert! Can you believe that?"

"That is amazing," Judy answered. "But why're you getting so worked up?"

"You remember I was a chemistry major before I settled down with your father, don't you?" Her mother asked. "It's amazing because something that can keep frozen under that much heat is unheard of! I don't know of any chemicals that can keep it frozen, though it's been awhile since I opened my old textbooks."

"I don't know what you just said," Judy laughed. "But it's still cool. Pun unintended."

"I can't believe you said that," her father groaned. "But it was an ICE try." He chuckled and ducked a swat over the head from Bonnie.

"Honestly, you two," she sighed.

"Mine was an accident," Judy defended.

Her mother gave her a deadpan stare before she sighed in defeat. "I guess Nick must be rubbing off on you. You're sense of humor has definitely changed." A shout sounded out from somewhere behind them and they turned towards the sound. "We better go take care of that. We love you honey." Her mother said.

"Love you too," Judy replied, and the call ended. Judy smiled and set her alarm for tomorrow.

Her phone began to ring again, just showing as a normal call. It was Ben. Judy smiled and answered. "Hey Ben," she said.

"Hi Judy," Ben answered. "So I know it's late, but I figured I should just call and make sure."

"Make sure of what?" Judy asked.

"You know you have a speech at the police graduation right?" He asked.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy shouted. On the other end Ben winced at the sudden volume. "Sorry, Ben."

"I'm guessing you didn't know then?" He asked.

"No, I just forgot," Judy muttered. "Look, I'm going to need to get on that, so I'm going to have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?"

"Oh that's fine," Ben answered. "Just don't stay up too late."

"Don't I know it," Judy replied. "Bye Ben."

"See you Judy!" Ben said as they finished the call. Judy sighed and moved to her desk. Tonight would be a long night.

* * *

Several mammals from the archaeology team walked into a bar, laughing and congratulating each other. The bar served prey and predators alike and was a well liked location for them. The mammals slid into two booths, Jackson taking up a whole half booth by himself. He was joined by Don and Rachel and they quickly ordered drinks. Harrison and the twins took another booth and they ordered drinks too.

"This is amazing!" Harrison laughed. "Who thought we'd find such a good find on our first opportunity?"

"I sure didn't," Jackson said over the others. "I also thought you'd be buried in sand, and I was right about that." He smiled good naturedly as the others laughed.

"Ah, go get smashed!" Harrison shot back. "You earned it with all the heavy lifting. I did put on a few pounds after all."

"Was that before or after you ate sand?" Don quipped. The others laughed and turned to their drinks.

Harrison noticed one of the twins looking thoughtful. "What're you thinking about?" He asked.

"Guess my name and I'll tell you," the weasel said. "You've yet to get me and my brother right."

"Uh…. was it…." Harrison thought hard. The twin's names were Kirk and Patrick, but he always mixed them up and they never let him live it down. "Kirk," he finally answered.

"Lucky guess," the weasel muttered. "Okay, but all things aside, it seems strange that we found that thing."

"How so?" Harrison asked as he took another drink.

"Think about it," the weasel said. The whole place was clean, and the door was sealed. I'd assume it was an airlock, but there was no vacuum when we opened it. So the sand never got in, but it was filled with air. Where was the dust? That place would have had to be kept completely clean for hundreds or thousands of years, why wasn't there any dust?"

"Who cares?" Harrison asked.

"I care," Kirk said sharply. "No dust means there was nothing going in or out. If nothing went in or out, why? And that's just the room! The container was covered in frost. The amount of power to keep it frozen would be enormous! How does it work? What was the little glowing thing at the top? That's the only thing I can think of that would power it, but it's so small!" He drained a whole mug after that sentence and slammed it down.

"Whoa dude, chill!" Harrison said as he raised his hands in surrender. "Patrick, help me out here!"

"It is strange, you have to admit," Patrick said, siding with his brother.

"Yeah, and what's inside it?" Kirk ranted. "I mean, for all we know, it could be a time machine!"

"Kirk, don't go nuts here, okay?" Harrison asked.

"I'm not a squirrel," he hissed. "I'm a weasel. We're known for being crafty, so why's it weird that I think this is a little to simple?"

"What's too simple?" Harrison asked. "It's not as if we're treasure hunting."

"The container takes huge amounts of power and we can't open it. There were bones in the room in various places. The room was completely sealed," Kirk listed. "What about that doesn't make you worried?"

"Worried about what?" Harrison asked.

"I give up!" Kirk threw up his paws in exasperation and walked to the bar to get another drink.

"Harrison," Patrick explained. "Have you ever watched horror movies?"

"A few, why?" Harrison asked.

"What happens when the group finds a random container in the center of a room where there's bones? Or when the room was sealed?" He asked.

"From what I've seen," Harrison answered. "They usually get killed, or release a… monster." He looked at Kirk who took his seat again. "Is that what you're worried about?"

"I think there's two reasons it could be sealed," Kirk said with a sigh. "One, it could be extremely valuable and whoever made the container wanted to keep it safe, or two," he took another drink. "They were keeping something inside that they never want to escape."

A loud laugh startled them all and they turned to see Don with a glass around his muzzle. "How in the world?"

"I think I win that bet," Jackson chuckled. Rachel handed him a five and smiled slightly, though she had lost money.

"Hey what happened to the other guy?" Kirk asked.

"What other guy?" Jackson asked.

"The enchilada or whatever," Kirk clarified.

"Enchilada?" Harrison asked. "Do you mean the echidna?"

"Same difference," the weasel scoffed.

"They're not even close!" Rachel laughed as Don pulled at the glass holding his muzzle. "And to answer your question, he was just our guide, remember? He didn't come back with us."

"Oh, okay," Kirk replied.

"What, not scared the box ate him?" Harrison joked.

Kirk scowled as he looked at Harrison, only half aware. "I'll stuff you in a box in a minute."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Harrison asked.

"Sure it is," Kirk replied as he downed another drink. He swayed slightly in his seat.

"Hey guys," Harrison laughed. "Kirk's drunk!" The others laughed. "How many did you have?"

"I lost track at three," Patrick muttered. "But maybe that's why he was so paranoid."

"That would explain things!" Harrison laughed. "The box of danger! Woooooo!" He said in a comical voice. The others laughed and Kirk reached for another drink only for it to be pulled away by his brother. The heckling continued as the others forgot what Kirk had been explaining before.

 **A.N. Okay! A little more backstory, but the next chapter will bring in the actual story. Well, at least start the storyline. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and have a good day. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. Okay! Wow! I did not expect so many people that are reading this story. Because of this, I feel that I should warn you. This is one of multiple stories that I am working on. Because of this, updates are sporadic and can take longer times to be posted. I am sorry, but this is how it will be. Anyway, please read and review.**

Judy groaned as her alarm began to ring. She quickly shut it off and sat up, but she didn't like it. She had been up late last night writing her speech and she was rather pleased with it. While writing was not specifically her strong suit, it wasn't something she was terribly lacking in. It was actually pretty well written in her opinion.

She stood up and wiped the sleep from her eyes before moving to get dressed in her uniform. Today would be a big day, and she would look her best. With a well known routine, she began to get dressed, idly thinking about what the day would bring. It would be great! He best friend now on the force with her, being back on the job after medical leave, and she had gotten two tickets to the Gazelle concert that was happening in a few days!

A buzzing from her phone drew her attention and she saw a message from Nick.

-Carrots, hope you've got your speech ready. -Nick-

-Of course I have it ready. -Judy-

-Good. We don't need another improv speech like last time. :P -Nick-

-Ha ha. Very funny Slick Nick. -Judy-

-I thought so, but seriously, are you coming? It's almost time for it to start. -Nick-

-What? -Judy-

-It starts in twenty minutes -Nick-

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy shouted as she hurriedly grabbed everything else she needed and ran out the door, forgetting to lock it. She skidded to a stop, turned back and locked the door before running down to the street. "Legs, don't fail me now." She ran towards the police academy as fast as she could.

* * *

The archeology team was studying the case with curiosity, each taking down notes on it. Some examined the front or sides while others examined the strange top of the container. The weasels were each looking at the back, or more specifically, the blue lit up pad. "Did it say 'OPEN' before?" Kirk asked.

"I don't think so," his brother replied. "You think this thing's some kind of tech?"

"It says open on it," Kirk said exasperatedly. "What do you think that means? It means it's able to be opened, and it's still fully functional!"

"What you guys talking about?" Don asked as he peered around it.

"This thing says 'OPEN' on it," Kirk muttered. "I mean, what would it be for?"

"Maybe to open it?" Don asked with a shrug.

"It's not that simple," Kirk said with annoyance. "Why would it be functional after hundreds or thousands of years? You saw those bones. They were easily hundreds of years old. I don't know how long they could have been preserved in that room. If it was sealed, they could be thousands of years old!" Kirk rubbed at his chin in thought.

"I think the only way to know for sure it so open it," Don said.

The twins thought about it but didn't answer. "You guys usually joke around. Is this bothering you guys that much?" Harrison asked as the joined them. "Just push it already."

"Hey, you want to do it so bad, then be my guest!" Kirk snarled.

"Fine," Harrison said with a shrug before turning and reaching for the button. He couldn't reach it. It was too high up.

"What are you guys doing?" Rachel asked as she came around the corner. "You guys had better not have broken anything."

"Nothing happened!" Patrick hurriedly answered. "But we're thinking about pushing the button."

"Button?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Kirk replied. "The one that says 'OPEN'."

Rachel thought about it, then nodded. "Do it. We'll be able to see what's inside without having to cut it open. We'll get answers."

Kirk stretched up as high as he could but still couldn't reach it. Patrick sighed and grabbed his brother around his legs before lifting him up. Kirk took a deep breath and pushed the panel. It lit up green and the others quickly walked to the front of the container.

"Activation in progress," A monotone voice rang out.

"Why's it in our language?" Patrick asked.

"We use their language," Rachel explained. "We used it as a common language because most species learned it from their artifacts. Now, everyone speaks it."

A hissing could be heard as the front raised itself up an inch as a cold fog billowed out. "Reversing cryogenic freezing," the monotone spoke again. The glass began to clear and the mammals were greeted by a figure unlike anything they had ever seen. It had no fur, except a patch at the top of its head. It's body was pale, and several scars crossed the body. It was naked too, and they could see it had well defined muscles.

"I didn't need to see that," Rachel muttered as she averted her eyes from it's lower body.

"If it was frozen," Patrick muttered. "Then whatever clothes it might have had could have been shattered by the change in temperature."

"Like with nitrogen?" Kirk asked. Patrick nodded.

The side opened and two screens swung out and on one was a single line that read 0 BPM. The other had multiple lines with labels including Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Theta. Each of these was still and non moving.

"Injecting Nanites," the monotone said and a mechanical arm holding a needle swung in before injecting some kind of fluid into the body. "Restarting mental functions." The lines on the second screen began to move. Slowly at first, but gaining in amplitude and speed. "Restarting heart." A flash of light emanated from the chest and the single line began to move such as a mammal's heart should. The chest began to rise and fall rhythmically, signifying breathing. "Disconnecting mental chip data insert cord." A small click was heard and the glass front began to raise, a hinge at the top lifting. The body inside began to be pushed out on the platform it was bound to.

"What is it?" Don asked as he leaned down to Harrison. "Is it a mammal?"

"How would I know?" Harrison snapped.

"Activating Nanite fabric," the voice said again. A deep blue material began to cover the body. It flowed almost like it was growing. It wrapped around it's chest and torso before beginning to radiate outwards. It wrapped around its arms and legs reaching down to its wrists and ankles. "Applying nanosteel body armor." Another material, this one looking like steel, with a dull shine to it, began to slide across. It also seemed to move flexibly, melding to the body. It formed a set of three metal riblike structures that encircled the torso. A tough metal front covered its upper body and more covered its lower body. The new material was quickly covered by the same material the rest of the body was covered in. All except for a small ring around each ankle and wrist.

"What kind of material is that?" Jackson wondered aloud. "Fabric? Metal? Liquid?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"Restoring cognitive functions," the monotone spoke again. The figure shifted slightly and the mammals around it took a step back. The metal bands holding it in place retract and the figure slid to the floor. Metal slipped over its feet and formed some kind of protective cover over its feet.

It yawned and raised its arms over its head, stretching for a bit. "What year is it?" It muttered. Then it opened its eyes.

* * *

William felt his consciousness stir. It was the first thing to wake up after time in cryosleep. He felt the extra machine remove itself from his conscious. Now it was just his mind and the implant chip. It already began to feed him information about what had happened. Several errors pushed to the forefront of his mind. Inconclusive location. Time unknown due to error. Lack of data servers apparent. They just keep piling up. He felt his muscles begin to return to his control as the nerves began to send the correct signals. He felt his senses begin to reestablish themselves and stretched.

"What year is it?" He muttered. The errors were bothering him. Something wasn't right. He opened his eyes and was greeted my small animals. They seemed to be standing upright, and they wore clothes. He quickly looked about and saw no one in a uniform he recognised. These could be enemies. He needed to leave. Now!

He reached back and grabbed the rod that he had been told about. He pulled it out and it rapidly expanded to become six feet long. His chip automatically gave him the information about his weapon as it began to prepare for battle. His suit automatically prepared, nanosteel moving up to create a half face mask over his nose and mouth with filters for poison, and the nanosteel at his wrists quickly covered his hands to make gloves that would protect him.

The information on the weapon was in his mind in nanoseconds. This was a military police grade lightning staff. Made with carbon fiber and able to stun the enemy enough electricity to knock out a bear. He immediately activated it and the two ends began to crackle and spark with electricity. The animals in the front took a hesitant step back. "We're not gonna…" a racoon said slowly. William quickly leveled the end of the staff at its head causing it to stop speaking.

The one that drew his attention was the bear in the back. He wasn't stepping away. "Beat it!" William shouted as he jabbed the staff towards the bear. The bear leaned away, but did not move. William shouted again and stepped forward with the next jab. The bear moved back this time, and William quickly moved back to his original position. He checked the other animals and noticed one was missing as the chip did it's work, computing what he couldn't in a fraction of the time. One was missing. A mongoose. Where was it?

He heard a click and immediately ducked, already bringing the staff around. The mongoose was holding a gun! He quickly smacked the mongoose with the staff and a zap of electricity sounded as the mongoose was thrown to the wall, brief wisps of smoke from the edge of it's fur. He turned to see the bear move towards him and he acted. He quickly swung again and the bear caught the end between two paws without thinking. The electricity coursed through its body, causing its fur to stand on end. William turned off the electricity and the bear slumped forwards, breathing, but unconscious. The other animals quickly stepped away and William reached behind him looking for the box, the chip helped him remember placements of objects behind him.

He quickly found the box containing his weapons and tools. Quickly he placed it on his back, the suit attaching to the box and holding it to his back. It wasn't too big, it was about two feet long by a foot. It wasn't too heavy, but it was slightly cumbersome, though the chip automatically helped to offset the problem.

The animals were at the door now and William was happy about that. They were well away from him now and he could leave. There was a window to his right. That was the way out. He needed to get away until he knew what was going on.

He shrank the staff and placed it at his waist before he turned and charged at the window, leaping towards the glass and tucking his knees to his chest and covering his eyes with his crossed arms. The window shattered and he began to fall. He looked to see that the ground was much closer than he expected. The chip helped him again, giving him a plan of action in nanoseconds. He hit the ground with his feet and rolled to his feet, reducing the impact, and readying him for the next course of action. He stood and looked around, preparing his next move.

* * *

Chief Bogo was having a good day for once. The city was quiet, Hopps would be back on duty after the graduation, and he'd be getting some new recruits. Not even crumbs on the case files could dampen his mood. He whistled a song from Gazelle unthinkingly, most didn't even know that he was a fan of the "Angel With Horns" as Clawhauser called her.

"Chief!" He looked to the door to see Clawhauser panting, out of breath. "We've got an unidentified mammal!..." He took a deep breath. "It just broke through the window of the archeology wing of the science center!..." Another breath. "And it's currently on Mane Street."

"Who's close?" Bogo asked as he walked towards Clawhauser.

"Officer's Delgado and Wolfard are the closest," the portly cheetah answered.

"Tell them," Chief said. "Do we have a visual?"

"Traffic cams possibly," Clawhauser said. "But I don't know yet."

"Well get on it then!" Bogo bellowed.

* * *

William stood and looked around, there were plenty of animals around, all of various sizes, and many kinds had cars that were closer to their size. He saw a large black car driving towards him, lights on top flashing while a siren wailed. "Time to go," he muttered. The chip already helping him to plan his escape route. He raced towards an alley that was too wide for the car to follow. As he made his way down the alley, he heard the padding footsteps of whoever was following him. He kept to a moderate run, no need to go all out yet.

"Officers Delgado and Wolfard are in pursuit of suspect. Assumed male of an unknown species. He is wearing some kind of suit. It's blue it color, though some kind of metallic fabric covers his feet, forpaws and half of his face." William turned to see a lion and a wolf, both chasing after him. They were by no means out of shape, and they were slowly gaining on him.

"You guys want to run?" William muttered to himself. "Then lets run." He began to push his speed to a near sprint and rapidly gained speed, feeling his breath enter his lungs and the muscles in his legs tightened as he took off down the alley and back into the streets where traffic was still going. This was unhindering to him, as he weaved in and out of traffic, easily passing cars, leaping over hoods, sliding under semi's and steadily pulling away, though he was in plane view.

* * *

"Chief," Bogo turned to his radio. "We lost him. He's fast. He's moving through traffic right now. We've got no way to catch up to him at his speed unless you've got a cheetah with fresh legs in your back pocket."

"Dammit," Bogo cursed. "Backup's coming to cut him off, just help them do so."

* * *

A rhino parked his car sideways across the road, creating a roadblock and waiting for the strange mammal to come to him. If he was moving as fast as they said, he'd be here in minutes. "This is officer McHorn," the rhino said. "I am in position. I have a roadblock to stop traffic and help us flush out this mammal." Traffic was already slowing to a stop blocks away, and he could see something dodging in and out of lines of cars.

"Roger that," Bogo answered. "Just keep him contained until backup arrives."

"Yes sir," McHorn answered.

* * *

William noticed the stoppage of cars. Why were they all stopping? Made it easier for him to move, but it also made it easier for him to be spotted. He still wasn't safe, especially around all these animals. What happened? Did the gene splicing change humanities genetic code or something? That still didn't explain where he was, or why he couldn't connect to any data centers! Even if the satellite data centers were the only ones left, they would have enough power and fuel to run for a few hundred years before finally running down. The sun would provide energy, so what was happening?

He leaped on top of car and used it as a springboard to leap further. He idly wondered how fast he was going and the chip immediately supplied it. Forty five miles per hour. He snorted. He'd gone faster before. The enhancements from Genesis were really helpful in that respect.

In front of him, he saw where the stoppage started and was greeted by the sight of a rhino. Large, standing in front of him, and likely very strong. William took immediate thought and skidded, tilting his feet as the nanosteel began to contort to how he wanted. Within seconds, the metal had formed wheels on the bottoms like with a set of in line skates. He already could see the best path as the chip outlined it for him. He resumed his movements but now it was much more smooth.

He raced straight for the large mammal and then to the officer's surprise, he turned directly towards the wall. Leaping up, he skated along the wall for a second before pushing off in a side flip and landing back on the street. He gave a dry laugh and continued down the road. Even if things were different, he could still kick ass.

* * *

"I lost him," McHorn's disapointed voice carried to Bogo's ear and the sighed. "Send in more backup," he said. "All available units, you are in pursuit of a strange mammal wearing a strange suit of a material we do not know of. He is considered dangerous, tranqs are clear to be used. He is currently on Mane Street headed towards the police academy, though it does not seem to be his target."

"If we drive him to the academy, we'll have more backup," one officer stated.

"Along with several civilians thrown straight into the mix," Bogo huffed. "Do not drive him there, try to contain him."

"Understood."

* * *

William raced down the street, still on his pseudo-skates. There were plenty of alleys he could dive into, but he didn't know where he was. It would be best to stay in clear streets and not get turned around in a maze of alleys. He saw a large complex towards the end of the street as sirens began to sound from behind him. He leaped into the air, and the wheels slipped back to his boots. He hit the ground running and risked a look over his shoulder. Another car was closing after him. This one held the rhino from before. Another siren signaled the appearance of the wolf and lion as they came in from a side street, closing on his left side. Again a siren signaled the approach of more problems. A hippo drove this car and it quickly came in front and right. They were boxing him in!

He needed to get away from these guys! The best way to lose them would be where they couldn't follow him anymore in those cars. He was much faster than them when they were running. He increased his speed again moving to a sprint. His chip notified him that he was reaching sixty three miles per hour. This wasn't his top, but he was already pushing his endurance. The enhancements could only do so much.

Steadily he pulled away until they began to accelerate as well. The gate to the complex was getting closer by the second and William knew that he'd be through it before they could box him in. The problem would be stopping. The cars hit their brakes as they were forced to by the imposing stone wall. Free from this he turned his feet to the side and began to skidd. At his mental comand, the nanosteel formed claws over his fingers that he dug into the pavement, slowing himself as much as he could. With the screeching sound of concrete on steel, he slowed to the point where he could stand again and run behind a building.

He laughed dryly as he took breaths of air to try to prepare for another possible chase. He peered around the corner to see the animals come into the area, each searching around. He saw the wolf bend down and sniff at the gouges he'd put in the concrete. "Shit," he muttered. "Time to go."

He turned and at a brisk jog went in the opposite direction. There were plenty of buildings, but he could end up trapped in them. Best to stay in the open right now. He slowed down at a corner and peered around it. Nothing. If the wolf got his scent, he had possibly two minutes before they caught up to him. No, he had a minute and twenty seven seconds, the chip removed all need to estimate.

He continued around the corner and saw an open area. There was the wall! He could climb that easily. "Hey!" He turned to see the wolf coming quickly. It was now or never. He turned and ran directly at the wall. He heard gasps and shouts of surprise, causing him to look over his shoulder to see a crowd of animals all watching. He turned back forward and took a step up the wall. A normal person could get two to three steps up a vertical wall, not nearly enough to get over it. The way that he would get over would be with a little help. The nanosteel around his feet and hands formed claws that dug into the wall, giving him the leverage to quickly scale the wall in seconds and get over it.

He dropped to the ground and rolled to his feet before taking off down the street. He'd need to find a place with information. And a way to keep hidden from whoever these animals were.

* * *

Judy had just finished her speech and had seen the new officers given their badges when she had seen the strange mammal run and climb the wall. The massive wall was easily three meters tall, and he had scaled it in seconds. "What just happened?" She heard Nick asked.

"Hopps!" She turned to see Francine standing there with a radio. "Chief just called. You're back on the force right?" Judy nodded. "Then first order of business is to go catch that mammal. We've been chasing him for a while, and he's gotten away. Wilde," she turned to Nick. "Chief says you're with Hopps, but he also says that if you screw this up, you're gonna be on parking duty for a month."

"Roger that," Nick said. "Well carrots? Ready to go?"

"Why are you asking me?" Judy asked as she took off at a run. "Let's go!"

* * *

William sprinted into the alleys and quickly made as many turns as he could. He could remember where he had gone and was quickly making a mental map. Finally he slowed and stopped breathing hard. The nanosteel around his face receded, allowing him to breath unrestricted. The nanosteel around his hands pulled back, and he rubbed his forehead. "Where the hell am I?"

"You're in our territory," a deep voice rumbled. William looked out and up to see a group of mammals walk in. They were all dressed similarly, with a leather jacket on that with a flaming paw print on the back judging by the reflection in the window that he saw. There was a tiger, a pair of wolves, a brown bear with a scar across his eye, and a lioness with a single stud in her ear.

The tiger stepped forward and held an aluminum bat in his paws. He tapped it into his hands a few times. "You lost, freak?"

"What happened to his fur?" One wolf asked.

"Maybe he lost a bet," the other chuckled. "But it seems like they missed a patch on top."

"That suit looks pretty good," the lioness purred. "Think it'll fit me?" She asked the bear. She was close to his height, and the wolves seemed to be a bit taller, though not by much. The tiger was taller than him by a few inches and the bear was taller by half a foot at least.

"What do you want?" William asked. Where was he? This place was insane. "I may not know where I am, but I'm not easy prey." The animals chuckled. "You're still weak. All prey are weak."

"I'm not prey," he said.

"Oh?" The tiger growled. "Are you a predator then? Where's your fangs? Or claws?" He bared his teeth in a predatory grin.

This time William smiled. "I don't need them. Never did, never will."

"Oh really?" the tiger asked as he walked closer. "How about you empty your pockets and give us what we want then?"

"No can do," William said as he gripped the rod.

"That wasn't a request," the tiger growled as he swung the bat at William. Quick as a snake, William ducked under the swing, pulled out the rod and spun, smacking it into the tiger's leg, causing him to roar in pain. Without waiting, William activated the weapon. The weapon sparked as the buzz of electricity filled the air. William pulled back and moved to a ready stance, allowing the tiger to collapse to the ground.

The others stepped back hesitantly as he turned to them. "So, now that I have your attention, how about you answer some of my questions." They looked at each other, growled, and turned back towards him. Together, they attacked William, causing him to be forced back. A strike with the rod would hinder them, but being unable to hold the charged end to them, was unable to put them out of the fight.

The wolves attacked together in tandem, but after breaking one of their forearms with a well place strike, their teamwork detireated and they ran. The bear was next to be beaten as he was struck repeatedly. His size gave him immense strength, but lacked the agility to avoid the blows. A blow to the back of the head dropped him like a sack of bricks.

When he came to fighting the lioness however, it was very different. She was quick and agile, keeping from getting hit by a deciding blow. Her strength was also a factor, strong paws that could hurt. This along with claws that seemed to be covered in steel caused damage. He was given several cuts as the claws cut through his suit. It was made to be bulletproof, which did not protect against edged weapons. He caught her in the side of the head with the staff, driving her back. "You asshole!" she yelled as she wiped the blood from her face. She growled and pounced. William was unable to get out of the way in time and was clipped by her powerful paws which threw him to the ground. He felt blood dripping from long lacerations across his shoulder, and when he turned to get up, he was hit in the back by her whole force. He grunted as the claws dug into his skin, cutting him more and more. He threw his head back, catching her in the face. With a grunt, she fell back, and he rolled to his back. He had lost some blood, but he'd be fine if he could get this finished.

He never got the chance to. A dart embedded itself in the lioness' neck, it's green fletching a stark contrast to her fur. A quick pain drew his attention and he looked down to see another dart embedded in his side where the lioness had cut through the suit. He looked up to see a rabbit and a fox, each holding a gun much like what the mongoose had shot at him before. "Well, what's this?" he asked. "Tigers using baseball bats, and rabbits using tranquilisers." The chip already had pinpointed the likelihood of it being tranquilizer, and he knew it would start kicking in for him in a few seconds, the lioness was already about to fall asleep, but with the genetic enhancements, he'd last a little longer. He pulled out the dart hoping to reduce the amount of chemical in his body as much as he could. The chip, now no longer occupied with helping him fight, diverted it's attention to repairing the suit, causing the nanite fabric to shift and restitch itself back together.

"Nice shot carrots," he heard the fox say as his vision began to blur. He sat down unsteadily, realising there wasn't any point in fighting. He'd been caught, and he'd be taken in. That was it, he'd lost. His eyes closed and he slumped to the side, his last sight being the rabbit and fox cuffing the groaning tiger and bear.

 **A.N. Another chapter finished! Okay, the next chapter will probably take a little longer to finish, especially because I have other stories I need to finish their chapters as well. Anyway, please review, and have a good day.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. Hey all! I love that you guys are liking this story. I'm not very good about updating regularly, so please hold off on the torches and pitchforks if a story takes too long to update. Anyway, please read and review.**

William began to stir from the effects of the tranquiliser. He had been unconscious for twenty minutes and thirteen seconds, his chip told him. Tranquiliser would knock him out, but that wouldn't stop the chip from doing it's subroutines, including timekeeping, curing poisons, toxins, and diseases, and ordering information that he had obtained recently.

He sat up wearily and tried to raise a hand to his head. It stopped about a foot up. He opened his bleary eyes and saw they were cuffed to a table. His suit was still on, so getting out would be easy. He looked up to see he was in a room like the ones they used for interrogation in cop shows.

The door opened and a pair of animals walked in. The rabbit and fox from before. "For fuck's sake," William muttered. "I've been trapped in a furry convention." Pain lanced through his head and he grimaced. That was a killer headache.

The rabbit hopped up onto a metal chair across from him and the fox climbed up next to the rabbit. "You are under arrest, sir, but we have no files as to who you are," the rabbit stated. "I am Officer Hopps and this is my partner, Officer Wilde."

"Are we technically partners?" the fox asked. "I mean, I just graduated Police Academy today."

"Chief Bogo already cleared it," the rabbit said. She turned back to William. "So, anything you want to tell us?"

"I am only obliged to tell you certain facts as a P.O.W." William said, keeping to what he was trained for. "I am William Dante Alistair, from Project Genesis, codenamed Lycaon. That is all I am required to tell you."

"P.O.W.?" The fox asked himself quietly. "As in prisoner of war?"

"We're not at war," the rabbit said. "And that doesn't explain what you are." She looked at him curiously, but also suspiciously.

He wasn't going to get any information from them unless he gave some himself. "How about this? I ask a question, then you can ask a question. Deal?" This was not what he was supposed to do. He shouldn't give any information at all, but he needed to have some questions answered.

"Sure," the fox said.

"Nick!" The rabbit hissed.

"What?" The fox asked. "He's giving us information for information, it's a fair trade, but he's still here. There's not much he has to gain from it."

"First question," William said. "Where am I?"

"You have got to be kidding me," the rabbit huffed. "There's no way you don't know this place." William didn't answer, he just waited. "Fine! This is Zootopia, happy?"

Zootopia? He didn't remember anyplace that was named anything remotely like that. How long had he been in that pod?

"Our turn," the fox said with a lazy smile. "What are you?"

"I'm a human," William said.

"Human?" The rabbit asked. "There's no such thing."

"My turn," William said. "What are you guys. Police?"

"Yes," the fox said. "Though most would have recognised the uniform." He took a notepad out and began to write. "How old are you?"

The chip kept that tally up and running. Being in cryosleep for long periods of time and not being out in the world, his aging was slowed and sporadic, but he was currently twenty six, and he would have twenty seven years of life in fifty four days. "I am currently twenty six," he said. "But that's a little more of a rough estimate." Cryosleep slowed aging down greatly, but it didn't completely halt it, so there was a margin of error, depending on how long his last stint of cryosleep was.

William now went for the most crucial information. "What year is it?"

The two did a double take. "What do you mean 'what year is it?'" The rabbit huffed. "You cannot be serious. It's twenty eighteen."

"What?" William asked. "That's impossible."

"That's the year, buddy," the rabbit snarked.

"No," William said. "That's not possible. The last time I was awake, it was twenty seven seventy two."

"I'm sorry, what?" The bunny asked.

"That's not possible," William muttered, his brain going into overdrive, the chip helping him run through information. It didn't add up! A cryosleep pod could run on its own power for up to five thousand years, and the lab he was in would have kept the pod running for easily a hundred years if it didn't have maintenance. "I can't have been in the pod that long."

"Hopps, Wilde," he glanced up to see a cape buffalo standing in the door. The buffalo glanced at him and lowered his voice. "We're going to call a psychiatrist. Just keep him occupied."

William could get out. He just needed to use the nanosteel. He placed his palms down on the table and the nanosteel twisted unnoticed by the two animals still in the room. He needed information. He needed to get back to where he was before. If he could get to a secure place, he could get out his weapons, but they should be set to stun. If these really were just police officers, then he couldn't just go killing them.

The nanosteel began to mesh over the cuffs going to the lock and squirming in. The chip gave him help, molding the steel how it needed to be before twisting, releasing with a soft click. The rabbit's ears perked up and it leaped towards him. Without missing a beat, he grabbed the rabbit and threw it into the fox. They both went down and he quickly was out the door. He looked for a window and saw one down the hall. The buffalo however was in his path, and he had turned to see him.

William turned and looked the other way. A pair of wolves were moving towards him. They'd be easier to deal with than the large buffalo. William made his choice and ran towards the wolves at a relatively normal pace. When they were close by, he changed into a sprint and shot towards them, surprising them with his rapid change of pace. He turned and skidded on his side, the suit protecting him except where it had been cut. As he stood back up and continued his run, he made a mental command that the chip relayed to the suit to fix itself.

Immediately, the fabric began to seal itself back up, covering the last traces of his wounds that were already almost completely healed. It was honestly too easy. He raced towards the front at a fast but manageable speed, and ran into the front lobby area. There were several police officers in the lobby, and they each turned to look at him. "Shit," he muttered. He charged towards the front, but they moved to cut him off, so he changed tactics. He veered to the side, and leaped through the window, tucking his knees up, and rolling to his feet.

"Now where is the pod?" He wondered. He raced down the street, now able to increase his speed. They'd catch up again if he stayed on ground level, he needed a high ground. He turned into an alleyway and leaped at the wall, planting his foot, and supporting with his hands before pushing off to the other wall, and repeated the process, leaping up the walls until he reached the roof. Now he was getting somewhere.

* * *

Judy and Nick rounded the corner of the hallway to see the "Human" as he called himself, crash through the window. She ran as fast as she could, Nick following close behind. They came to the outside to see him running down the street, fast as any cheetah could run. "C'mon!" She called. She gave chase, running down towards where he turned into the alleyway. She turned the corner, and saw no one. A scratching sound drew her attention, and she looked up to see him disappear over the edge of the roof.

She pulled out her radio. "This is Officer Hopps," she radioed in. "The perpetrator is on the roofs. Hopps and Wilde are in pursuit." She looked around briefly, considering her next action before taking a running jump at the wall. She then pushed off, and grabbed the fire escape. She pulled herself up and began to climb. "C'mon Nick!" She called. Without waiting, she climbed, pulling herself up rung by rung. He wouldn't be able to get anywhere from that roof.

* * *

William pulled the box off his back and placed it on the ground. He opened it and considered his weapons. He needed something non-lethal at the moment, but that limited his options. He pulled out a simple pistol like structure and a barrel extension. He twisted it on and then pulled out an extendable stock which he attached as well. He pulled out an energy cell that would be his ammunition. He slid it into the ammo compartment and selected 'stun' on the screen that was on the side of the gun. It was jet black in total, and he placed it on the ground. The rest of the material in the box began to shift and move before sliding out, and molding itself into the shape the rest of the gun would take, forming a handguard, a sight, and the rest of the body of the gun that looked much like the early prototypes of the PHASR rifle that was used in the wars.

As the material stopped moving, he closed the box and replaced it on his back, and picked up the gun. It should have enough energy for a while, but he didn't have too much time. "Freeze!" He turned and saw the rabbit leap up over the ledge, soon followed by the fox. He wouldn't waste ammo on these guys. He turned and ran towards the edge, leaping off and to the next roof. It was a good six or seven meters, there was no way the two of them would make that. He turned towards where the chip had identified the building from his memory. It was approximately two miles away, and he had a clear shot towards it, especially because the only major streets were to his back and his right.

"I said…!" He turned to see the bunny leap off the roof and towards this one. She landed, her arms over the edge and her legs hanging off. She grunted and pulled herself to her feet. "Freeze!" William looked at the bunny with surprise. It must have taken serious work to get that much jump. He looked over her to see the fox leap as well. Even though he didn't have quite the jumping ability, his size helped him to reach the edge. William rolled his eyes and slung the rifle over his shoulder and heard it click as it locked to the box. He ran towards the edge, and jumped. This time, he didn't stop, instead, he continued, running until the next alley, where he jumped again, crossing to the rooftop.

He slowed slightly and looked back. They were still following. He gritted his teeth, and increased the speed, leaping over more alleyways before stopping, and pulling the rifle off his back. The energy in the blast would work like a tazer, and would stop them in their tracks.

William lined up the shot, looking through the sight at the gray bunny chasing after him. He tightened his trigger finger, but stopped. The shock could be more damaging to her. She was much smaller after all. He'd fire a warning shot first. He aimed at the area in front of her and fired. The crack of gunfire echoed through the air, accompanied by the zap of electricity that hit the ground in front of the rabbit who leaped to the side as the electricity hit the roof. She quickly retreated behind an outcropping and William smirked. Now to get to the pod.

He slung the rifle back over his shoulder and turned back, breaking into a run before leaping to the next building.

* * *

Judy grabbed her radio. "The perpetrator is armed. I repeat, the perpetrator is armed."

"Copy that Hopps," Bogo said over the radio. "Can you tell us where he's going?"

"He's following Wolfshiem Street," Judy replied. "I do not know his destination. He's currently on the rooftops and I had visual of him make a jump that was easily six or seven meters. He had no hindrance at that and was able to immediately continue onward."

"Did you follow?" Bogo asked.

"I did sir," Judy said peeking from behind her cover. "I barely made the jump."

"Hopps," Bogo said seriously. "Do not risk yourself over this mammal. He is not worth the live of one of my officers."

"Understood chief," she said. He was still running away. "The mammal is on the move," she said before standing up and racing after him. Where was Nick?

That question was answered as she saw a fox pop up from the alleyway startling the mammal slightly, before landing on the roof and placing himself between the mammal and the next roof. Judy smiled and increased her speed, leaping across the gaps and closing distance. "You're not getting away," she muttered.

* * *

William had been fine until that fox had popped up. How'd he get there so fast? "Where'd you come from?"

"Ever heard of car surfing?" The fox asked with a smirk. He pulled out a pair of cuffs. "Now, you have two options. You can come with me, or the bunny. The bunny's going to be much more forceful than I will."

"Oh really?" William asked, stalling for time. He needed to time this right. "And what about the third option?" He then pretended to see something behind the fox. "Oh shit." He dropped to the roof and the fox turned for a brief second, but that was all that William needed. He grabbed the staff off his waist, and extended it into the fox's belt loop before lifting. The fox rose in the air, shouting profanities before being tossed behind William. The bunny was still too far away to do anything, leaving William's path free.

He resumed his run, leaving the two animals behind him.

* * *

"Nick!" Judy called as she stopped by the fox. "Are you okay?"

"I can't believe I fell for that," Nick muttered as he rose to his feet. He stretched and they both heard several cracks and pops. "Dammit, that hurt."

"We're never gonna catch him at this rate," Judy huffed.

"Well," Nick said with a smirk. "Good think you never knew when to quit."

* * *

William came to the road where he had dropped out of the window. It would be easy to get back in. The odd of them moving the pod were also low. It was quite heavy and would be unable to be used by them. They'd never get anything from it. His thought was relayed to the chip which changed the nanosteel in his suit into a long strong fibered rope with a barbed grappling hook at the end. He threw it hard and it sailed through the window. The suit pulled him towards it quickly, pulling him over the busy road and to the edge where he climbed over, the nanosteel covering his hands to protect him from the broken glass.

Hoisting himself back into the room, he turned to where the pod still stood. No one else was around, likely because of what he had done to get out. He needed answers now, so he'd have no choice but to try to tap into the data given by the pod.

He walked to the pod and quickly typed in his activation code into the keypad on the back. It accepted it and several monitors swung out. He walked to the first one. Location should be shown on it. It showed the globe, but several errors popped up, saying that multiple satellites were offline. That was concerning. It ran it's systems, trying to pinpoint his location. Finally it stated one simple word. Unknown. He caused it to retry, but again a location unknown error popped up. Fine, maybe the satellites were down.

He moved to the next monitor. Current government establishments such as the United states, China, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and many others showed up. Besides each was the word disconnected. He tapped the refresh function and it tried to establish contact. If he could establish contact, he could find where he was, and whether he was in a hostile environment. Again, each showed disconnected. Now he was getting nervous. Things weren't making sense, and even a war hardened soldier like him had a breaking point.

The next monitor held his vitals which he didn't need so he passed it, moving to the next one. Time elapsed since he had been awakened. Systems deemed unnecessary were halted, including the clocks, instead, putting all energy into life support and cryosleep. That only happened after a thousand years without power from the lab. How long had he been in cryosleep? Last measurement was at one thousand, and fifty seven years. That can't be right. Approximate time difference during time of last measurement and now, three thousand, two hundred and forty three years, give or take a hundred years. He had been in that pod for four thousand years?!

"No," he muttered. "Four thousand years?" His life had been lonely, being kept in stasis so that others aged while he stayed close to the same age, but four thousand years? It couldn't be! "No way. No. Fuck no! I- I can't be. Am I the last human? Is that why the animals are running things? No. There has to be others. I can't…" He trailed off. His chip should help him, but with the overload of information and emotion, his chip was running in overdrive, trying to keep up with his irrational train of thought. "What happened? No. I can't be- I can't be the last one. It can't be. I can't be the last human! Fucking bull shit! No!" he stood up. He smashed the refresh again. It showed up nothing. "No," he hit the screen again. Nothing. "No!" Again.

Again and again he hit the screen, desperately hoping for something. Nothing ever showed up. He sank to his knees as he felt emptiness take him. It was shock, he knew it, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He couldn't feel anything right now.

* * *

Judy and Nick took to the sides of the doorframe with their tranquiliser guns drawn. Judy looked to Nick and then in perfect synchronisation, charged into the room. "Freeze! ZPD!" Judy shouted. They quickly focused on the blue suit, and noticed him kneeling. Several monitors were online, but neither focused on them. "You are under arrest," Judy stated before pulling out a pair of cuffs. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law."

"No," he muttered. "Four thousand years… impossible."

"Hey carrots?" Nick called. "You might want to look at this."

"What?" Judy asked with annoyance. "I'm kinda in the middle of booking this guy." She turned to see the screen he was referring to.

"What is this?" Judy asked.

"I don't know exactly," Nick answered before looked at the still motionless form. "But at my best guess, he's been in that pod for the last four thousand years. At least, that's what this thing says."

Judy pulled the mammal's strange furless hands behind him and secured them with the cuffs. Nick walked to the mammal's side and pulled him away from the pod so he could see his face. The mammal did not move, instead, he stared unblinkingly at the floor. "Well?" Judy asked. "Anything?"

"No," Nick replied. "He seems like he's in shock." He looked back at the monitor. "I mean, it might be because he's been in a frozen tupperware for a few thousand years.

"Cryosleep," the mammal muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Nick asked. "Could you repeat that?" The mammal looked at the monitor and began to speak.

* * *

William now had control of himself again thanks to the chip. It had helped to reorder his train of thought and had brought him to a manageable level of consciousness. He had heard the fox's question and had answered. He had nothing to hide anymore. He had been in the pod for four thousand years. If the humans weren't even heard of, then what were the odds they were even alive? The odds of it happening were so low, it wasn't even calculable by the chip. He had no one else, and no one would remember his entire species. He would make sure that someone else at least heard about humans. "It's called Cryosleep," he repeated.

"Sir, you have the right to remain silent," the rabbit said.

"I know," William answered. "But I can't remain silent. I am the last human. If I were to die, I want at least someone to remember my species."

"What do you mean species?" the fox asked.

"I am a human," William answered. "A soldier. I was genetically enhanced and put in cryosleep in between missions. We were the apex predators, creating technology that far surpassed yours while you were still running around on all fours, eating each other."

The rabbit's interest was peaked, but nonetheless, she radioed in the chief. "We caught him. He broke back into the archaeology wing. Same room he broke out of, then he just stopped. He didn't put up any resistance."

"So he's in custody?" the chief asked.

"Yes sir," Judy answered.

"A squad car is on it's way," chief replied. "Make sure he doesn't escape this time."

* * *

William sat in the back of the car, behind the iron grate that separated the two parts of the car. He had nothing left. He'd be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and he saw no problem with that. If charges were pressed, then he'd admit guilt. It didn't matter anymore.

As the car pulled up to the station, he simply sat and waited as the wolves he had knocked down before came out and each grabbed his upper arm. He offered no resistance as they led him in rather roughly. As he was led back to a holding cell, he simply waited. The wolves tried to pull off his gun, but to no avail. "It's not gonna work," he said. "Besides, it's set to stun."

"Take it off," one wolf said.

"No," William answered. "I'm not causing trouble, and that is one of the last things I have of my species, so forgive me if I deny your request."

The other wolf grabbed his other arm and the first wolf tried to pull of the gun again. It stayed stuck firmly to his back. "God… damn… stupid… gun!" The wolf's grip slipped and he stumbled back.

"I told you it wouldn't come off," William said. "But I'm only human anyway."

"Why isn't he disarmed yet?" he turned to see the buffalo from before walking towards them. "Why is he still here with a functioning weapon?"

"We can't take it off sir," one wolf said. "It's stuck tight."

"Fine, then I'll take care of this," the buffalo said. "You two can keep armed guard." He turned to William. "And you, I am very curious to find out just what the hell you're doing here."

"Hey," William snarked with a shrug of his shoulders. "I didn't want to be here either." He gave a half smile. "But overslept my alarm a bit." As the wolves and buffalo took him to the interrogation room again, he heard the bunny and fox walk up to the buffalo.

"Sir," he heard the bunny say. "He's either delusional, or exactly what he says he is. He's supposedly from four thousand years ago."

"So what?" the buffalo asked. "He's a time traveler?"

"I don't believe so," the fox said. "He said something about being a soldier, and something about a thing called 'cryosleep'. I'm no language major, but to my understanding, that would mean he was frozen for quite a while."

"That's impossible," the buffalo said.

"No it's not," William said. "It's just you guys haven't caught up to us yet."

The buffalo ignored him. "Look, just find out who and what he is, then we'll figure out what to do with him. Prosecution will be impossible if we have no information as to who and what he is."

"I already told you guys," William said. "Seriously, don't you guy's listen?" The animals ignored him. "Why should I answer questions if you don't listen to my answers."

"Will you take charge of the questioning?" the rabbit asked.

"No, I'll leave it to you," the buffalo said. The animals steered him back into the interrogation room."

"Wow," William snarked. "It's like I never left."

"Let's cut the chatter," the rabbit said. Officer Hopps if he remembered right. The other one was officer Wilde. "Now you're going to talk."

* * *

"Answer the questions!" Officer Hopps shouted exasperatedly.

"I am," William replied as he slumped forward so he could scratch his nose, his wrists were cuffed to the table.

"Carrots," Wilde said. "Maybe we're not approaching this right." He turned to William. "So, you're saying that you're from four thousand years ago. You were part of an army of your species, humans, against another army, also of your species."

"Not quite," William said. "In order to understand it, you'd need much more knowledge of our past. When I was placed back in the pod, it was world war four."

"World war?" Wilde asked. He was just humoring William, it was quite evident, but it was progress.

"Yes," William said. "The first world war was one of the most brutal wars we had. Humans were stuck in trenches fighting for an extra ten feet across no man's land. Gas weapons were used that blistered the skin, destroyed your lungs and eyes, and killed quickly, but painfully."

"And human's used them on each other?" Wilde asked.

"Yes," William answered. "We were the only true sentient beings. We created civilizations, and were separated by areas that we lived in. We're omninvores, so we eat everything, which included other animals such as cows, pigs, and chickens, though we also ate other animal meats such as rabbit, deer, elk, and other animals that we hunted."

"You ate rabbits?" Hopps asked.

"Yes," William answered unabashed. "That was more uncommon though." He returned to his story. "The first world war was called the war to end all wars, though that was not the case. We had many other wars. Some over religion, land, morals, and other things. I was a citizen of the United States of America. We were a superpower, a country with the strongest military. However, that was not the case until later. World War Two was fought for a different reason by the U.S. We fought because of the holocaust."

William regaled them with a history lesson about the second world war and then the pacific war that was a seperate part.

"How could anyone do that?" Hopps asked.

"It was war," William stated. "It happened, and there was nothing we could do to change it. When we bombed Japan though. We dropped two bombs that devastated the area. We had never used them again for a long time." He sighed. "The third world war however, we changed that. Not because we wanted to stop the war, but because they hit us first. A terrorist group set up key people in several parts of the world and used them to start a free for all, causing Russia to attack the U.S. and Germany to attack England. Japan attacked us and China attacked us again. North Korea, after a peaceful time before, separated from South Korea and began to bomb everyone." He sighed. "Everyone fought everyone for years, killing as much as possible and cutting the population of the world in half. It took thirteen years before we found who was orchestrating everything."

"One person?" Hopps asked. While the two had been doubtful before, this was an amazing story that was so big with such atrocities, there was no way it was made up.

"One person?" William scoffed. "Try thousands. An entire society that when they couldn't win by a frontal assault, they infiltrated governments and poisoned them from the inside."

"But that's only three," Wilde said.

"Correct," William said. "World War Four was a whole new frontier for war. Instead of building better tech, we started building better soldiers. Many projects from around the world were created, and it was separated into three sides. The United States, most of Europe, Japan, and Canada were on one side. Russia, China, and North Korea took control of many other countries in the area and they were another side. The third was more neutral, but they still fought against both sides, holding their borders and keeping others out. That side was made up of most of Africa, the Middle East, Switzerland, Southern American countries, Australia, and the Pacific Islands."

"Were any countries not part of it?" Wilde asked.

"Not truly," William answered. "Switzerland tried, but they had to band with the third side so they could stay their own country. What changed were the weapons. Instead of building bigger bombs, we put in more man power. Bigger bombs destroyed everything, and left nothing for you afterwards. Instead, more people fought and died. So they began to build better soldiers. Manipulations of our genetic code were sought after, trying to create super soldiers. Project Genesis was the one that focused on it the most. The first part was simply to make us better. Chemicals and nanites, used to strengthen us. It only worked with about ten percent of the subjects.

"If you got those enhancements," William continued. "You could run farther, faster, jump higher, hit harder, and were just better physically. That worked, for many, and the process was continued, making it so that there was better success rate as they figured out how to make it work. But then, other countries figured out how to do it, and we were back to square one. So the next step was to make us smarter. Machines could run calculations, but couldn't truly think for themselves, only organise data. So they began to work on creating a merger between the human mind and machines."

"When did they do this?" Wilde asked.

"The first genetic enhancement success was in twenty two sixteen," William answered. "The first cybernetic enhancement that was a success was in twenty four seventeen."

"But when did you get them?" Wilde asked.

"I'm getting to that," William answered. "When that was successful, they came to the problem of time. It was expensive for them to create these kinds of soldiers, and they were hard to find. So they needed a way to keep them in storage almost. The Cryosleep was created, a way to keep soldiers frozen and prepared to return to battle in fifty years or so. I was born in twenty four sixty two, and after I joined, they created the cryosleep. I was one of their best operatives, and I had seen my family die in front of my eyes as a air raid destroyed my town as I was on leave. I only survived thanks to the nanites that were inside me."

"What are nanites?" Hopps asked.

"Microscopic robots that were controlled by the cybernetic chip implanted in my head. They'd heal me, and keep me from being sick or getting poisoned." He leaned back as far as he could. "But my family did not. With their death, I had no reason to stick around. I agreed to go into cryosleep so that when I was needed I could just be woken up and continue to serve."

"Did that end the war for you?" Hopps asked.

"No," William answered. "I spent the next hundred years going in and out of cryosleep, and working missions assigned to me, fighting for my side when the war got bad. Then one last breakthrough happened. They found ways to recode our DNA. Using nanites, abilities could be activated by restructuring our DNA, but they'd be reversed when the task was complete. I was given one such ability. I was given the codename Lycaon as a reflection of that. I can splice my DNA with one of a wolf, but at a much higher strength. As such, they named me after the King of Werewolves."

"How do you mean?" Hopps inquired.

"When I activate it," William replied. "I grow close to another two to three feet taller, gain claws, strengthened skin that can protect against some weapons, sharper senses, and become much, much stronger."

"That's hard to believe," Wilde said leaning back and crossing his arms.

"I know," William conceded. "But I didn't even have the strangest one. Some were given extremely potent bioelectricity, telekinesis, speed, flight, ability to breathe underwater, or even poison secretion. I knew a kid, a newer recruit who could fire spines. Most of these abilities were suped up versions that were inspired by animals, such as the bioelectricity, which they found a way to crank up so far that the man could fire bolts of electricity at will."

"So they wanted superpowers," Wilde drawled.

"Basically, yes," William answered. "But it was what they did. My last mission ended four thousand years ago, and I was placed in Cryosleep."

"Well," Wilde said. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

"Well," Nick said after they shut the door. "He's either utterly insane, or he's telling the truth."

"I think he's telling the truth," Judy said. "There's no way he made all that up. There was too much detail, and some of the things he talked about there was no way he was making it up."

"What do you think chief?" Nick asked as Bogo rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, I think he's telling the truth too. I've been in this job for a long time, and I can tell when a person's lying pretty well."

"Okay then," Wilde said. "But that still leaves a question. Now what?"

 **A.N. Okay! Finished! Wow! That took way longer than I thought. I got writer's block halfway through and was working on some of the chapters on my other stories because of it. Anyway, please review, read my other stories, and have a good rest of your day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. Hello all you wonderful readers. One of you guys really hit it on the nose with where I was going with the storyline. Well, halfway. You know who you are, but I'd like to say that it's rather smart of you guys to pick out the specific holes that could be in the plot. If you find said plot holes, please don't hesitate to tell me and I will try to resolve them as best I can. Also, bonus points to anyone who recognises the joke I made with the new mayor's name. Anyway, read and review.**

Benjamin Clawhauser had been at the desk for most of his police career. He had been directing people to different areas, writing in arrests, and filing paperwork out for far longer than anyone else. His cheerful face was very well known and his strange way of tormenting the criminals was also pretty well known. So when he was told to check on the new, strange mammal that they had in custody, he decided he'd need to find out as much as he could about him.

"O. M. Goodness," he said. "You really don't look like any mammal I've seen."

"Funny," the mammal said. "But I am a mammal, and nothing's gonna change that part of my biology." He lay on a bench towards the back of the cell and looked at the ceiling with his hands laced behind his head.

Clawhauser was at a lost as what to do. He had no way to probe for information, but maybe if he asked a few questions, he'd be able to get some answers for the inevitable paperwork. "So, what are you?"

"Is everyone going to ask that?" the mammal answered. "I'm a human."

"A what?" the cheetah asked.

"Human," the mammal answered. "I'm apparently from four thousand years ago. Odds are, you guys opened my pod, otherwise, I would've simply laid in the pod until it ran out of power and forcibly ejected me."

"So you're a time traveler?" Clawhauser asked with a half smile.

"No," the mammal answered. "But what's it to you?" He looked at the cheetah and Clawhauser felt some kind of pressure, almost like he was being challenged. Old instincts set him on edge and he had to forcibly quell the urge to bare his fangs. It was weird, he'd never had that response to anyone, not even to mammals that were directly threatening him.

"Oh, just wondering," the cheetah said trying to avoid setting the "Human" on edge.

"Yeah?" The human asked. "Y'know what I'm wondering?" he sat up. "What the hell is going to happen to me?" He looked at Clawhauser. "Are you going to send me to some lab for testing or dissection, or will I be prosecuted as a citizen, even though I've never been here in my life, or am I going to have to just get back in the pod and hope you know how to reactivate it correctly?"

Clawhauser was taken aback. "Why would you assume we would do that?" he asked.

"I dunno," he answered. "But it's one of the options on the table."

"That would never be an option," Clawhauser answered.

The human rolled his eyes. "Obviously you're more naive than that bunny."

"Officer Hopps?" Clawhauser asked.

"Yeah," the human said. "Naive, idealistic, optimistic, you take your pick." He returned his gaze to the ceiling before closing his eyes. "But it doesn't matter anyway." He drawled. "So do whatever the hell you want."

Clawhauser wasn't going to get any information out of him anytime soon, so he turned back to let the chief know what had happened. As he walked back into the lobby, his attention was drawn towards a group of what had to be college students, all walking in with a mammal who had to be their professor. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes," the professor, a mongoose said. "We recently opened an artifact and a mammal exited the artifact. We believe he is in your custody."

"Uh, okay?"Clawhauser said with confusion. "Follow me. You'll want to talk to the chief." He walked up with them to the chief's door. "Uh, Chief?" He called out hesitantly as he opened the door. "Uh, the mammal in custody hasn't moved since, but, um, some mammals are here about a mammal from an ancient artifact?"

Chief Bogo looked at the group with interest. "Dr. Mungus, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Chief Bogo," the Mongoose said. "Have you or any of your officers brought in a strange mammal with little fur and strange clothing?"

"Yes," Bogo answered hesitantly.

"May we meet with him?" the doctor asked.

"Why, may I ask?" Bogo countered.

"His capsule predates anything within our written history," the doctor explained. "We would like time to ask him questions before he ends up on trial, therefore restricting our access to his knowledge."

"He does not have to speak to anyone, and is within his rights to stay silent," Bogo answered. "And in reality, the only thing we could possibly get him on would be resisting arrest. He did not steal anything, did not break in to your lab, simply broke out, and did nothing that we can actually convict him for besides possibly disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest."

"Which does not transfer to much jail time," the mongoose said.

"If we get him on anything," the chief answered. "In all honesty, he'll probably get a pardon as to his circumstances."

"Well, be that as it may," the Mongoose continued. "We would still like to speak with him."

"Sure thing," the chief answered. "If he'll answer your questions." He walked the group down to the holding cell, the one directly in front of a camera that was focused on the "human" so that if he were to take his weapon off his back, they would be ready.

"Great," the human drawled. "More mammals who won't listen to the answers to their questions."

"Not so," the mongoose said. She pulled out an auditory device.

"What?" the human asked. "Are you supposed to be my lawyer?"

"No," the mongoose said. "I am a scientist. We opened your containment and you left rather quickly." She gave a half smile.

"Ah," the human said, as he rubbed the back of his head. "You want to settle out of court. Sorry, but I don't have any money with to pay for any damages."

"That's quite alright," the mongoose stated. "The way that we want you to pay us is information. We want you to tell us about yourself. Where did you come from?"

The human chuckled dryly. "Well, I have nothing to hide anymore. Nor anyone to keep info from." He began to regale them with his story again.

* * *

"His story was identical," Judy muttered. "Could he actually be telling the truth?"

"It's beginning to look like it, Carrots," Nick answered. "The idea that it's not just an elaborate ruse is hard to believe, but it's definitely possible." A knock on the door interrupted them. The newly elected Mayor Wolfsheim, a wolf with a midnight black pelt peeked his head in. "Mayor Wolfsheim," Nick said. "How can we help you?"

"Well, Officers," the Mayor said. "I'm here to try to understand what has happened. With these circumstances, publicity could take a climb, or plumet drastically depending on how the media state this."

"How so?" Judy asked.

"They could demonize him," the Mayor stated. "Or they could in fact, give him support as a mammal, alone, scared, and running for his life before being taken in by the police." He shrugged. "It could go either way."

"Well," Judy said. "I dunno what we're gonna do."

"What can you do?" The Mayor asked.

"If his story checks out," Nick said. "We might be able to find a loophole to let him out."

"Isn't that like, a miscarriage of justice?" The Mayor asked.

"Maybe on paper," Nick answered. "But some mammal from a couple thousand years ago, from a world in a perpetual war, gets suddenly released into a city filled with completely different species than what he's used to, he'd be pretty freaked out. I know I would be. Besides, the only thing we could get him on is possibly resisting arrest, or maybe disturbing the peace."

The mongoose knocked on the door. "Is it possible you guys could bring him to the lab?" She asked. "We have the pod there, but without him, nothing is able to be activated or even identified."

"You'll have to check with the Chief," Nick answered he opened the door and walked out to find the Chief. Within a few minutes, Nick returned with the Chief.

"I'm sorry but I can't allow him to leave," Bogo said.

"Isn't there a few loopholes you can exploit?" Nick asked.

"Maybe," Bogo answered. "But those will take a whole mess of paperwork. I'm talking days. It'll be easier to just have a trial for him quickly."

"And it'll just be for a misdemeanor," Nick answered. "But it's still a mark on the record."

"One that he doesn't have yet," Bogo answered. "In fact, he'll be having to gain citizenship after the trial after it'll probably get thrown out."

"Thereby keeping his record clean," Judy finished. "That is a huge loophole that I don't think anyone else will pull off. I don't even think that's a possible loophole!"

"It should," Nick answered.

* * *

 ** **A.N. This is called plot armor, so just roll with it. I know it probably wouldn't ever happen like this in a real court.****

* * *

"Well, that could work," Judy answered. "How soon would the trial be?"

"Well, being that everyone has the right to a speedy trial, he can ask for a sooner trial. Right now we're in a lull for crime, so it shouldn't be a problem," Bogo answered.

"Well, check if that's okay with him," Nick replied. "He has to ask for it, we can't just push it through."

"Uh, Chief?" Clawhauser asked hesitantly. "You may want to call a press conference."

"What's going on now," Bogo grumbled.

"There's quite a few reporters outside," Clawhauser said. "They're all asking about who the human is."

"Goddammit," Bogo muttered. "This whole thing is a nightmare."

* * *

"Hey!" William looked up at the fox outside the door. "We're trying to help you streamline this. There's not much we could even get you on, but due to your… strange circumstances, we're going to try to exploit a loophole. Do you want a trial soon?"

"I don't care," William answered. "It's your guys' country, you guys make the rules."

"Well it might become your country too," the fox said. "That's part of the loophole. Do you want to become a citizen?"

"Sure," William answered. Inside he had so many questions, but right now wasn't the best time to ask them. "It's your choice."

"Just answer the question!" the fox said. "Yes or no!"

"Yes," William answered. "Now what?"

"Get some sleep," the fox said. "We're hoping to get the trial tomorrow morning."

William laid back in his cell and closed his eyes. The box was now what supported his head as to his mental preference picked up by the suit. Well, there wasn't much he could do.

* * *

The next day passed in a blur. He met his lawyer who was a badger, who was fresh to the field of law, but the judge, a rhino tossed out the case when the circumstances were explained, and he ended up having no repercussions somehow. Then immediately after, he was taken to get citizenship, which was somehow also streamlined.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked Wilde.

"Right now," Wilde answered. "We're helping you out. Justice is blind, but you've already paid through justice, so in all honesty, you're clear. We're just filling out the necessary paperwork."

"Don't even mention paperwork," Chief Bogo growled. "I'm going to have a mountain of it when I get back to the office." He grumbled something else unintelligible.

"Why are you helping me?" William asked.

"Why wouldn't we help you?" Hopps asked. "It's the right thing to do."

"It's not your problem," William replied. "I'm not from here, I have no ties to anyone here, and I would have willingly taken all verdicts."

"Yeah?" Hopps asked. "Well, that's not why I'm a police officer. I'm here to make the world a better place. And that includes helping everyone who needs it, like you."

William chuckled. "Well, aren't you quite the idealistic, naive, little bunny." He shook his head. "It's adorable." He gave a dry laugh. "How old are you? Ten?"

"Ha, ha," Hopps drawled. "You're hilarious. But that is what I'm planning on doing, and I am an adult, I'll have you know."

William chuckled. "What did you do to end up with a cute bunny like her?" He asked Wilde.

"She ended up dragging my by my tail out of my shady previous life," Nick answered. "But don't call her cute. It's kinda an insult apparently."

"Why?" William asked. "And this isn't me being an asshole, it's an honest question."

"Well what do you call cute?" Wilde asked.

"Human's called plenty of animals cute. Basically, if it was an animal that we liked, but wasn't dangerous, it was cute. If it was dangerous, it was beautiful. Like a tiger, we'd call them beautiful. The cubs were cute," William answered. "It's just how they were thought of. Like you had cute bunnies, or mice, kittens, lots of things."

"So if it was a lioness?" Wilde asked.

"Most humans would call them beautiful," William answered.

"A panda?" Hopps asked.

"Cute, adorable, the like," William answered.

"Hmm," Hopps mused. "Well, to answer your question, considered almost an insult for bunnies when other animals call them cute. It's just a social faux pas. I dunno when that started."

"I see," William replied. "We had certain words that were insults depending on your ethnicity. People from different areas looked different and as such were treated different."

"What did they say?" Hopps asked.

"I could tell you a few of them, but you do not ever repeat them," William said. "They're really bad. Like worse than calling someone's mother a whore. Well, maybe not worse, but easily as bad."

"Okay," Wilde cut in. "If they're that bad, we don't need to know them."

William breathed out in relief. "Thanks, I don't want to say them. They're not cusses like shit, or fuck, or anything. They're way worse."

"Okay," Hopps said. "Let's talk about something else. Like where are you going to work?"

"I'll find someplace," William said. "It'll probably just be freelance labor at a dock or something."

"Well at least he has somewhat of a plan," Hopps said.

"Well do you have any skills?" Wilde asked.

"Wilde," William said. "I was a soldier for most of my life. I have mostly academic skills, tactical training, and fighting skills."

"Anything else?" Wilde asked.

"When I was younger I did pretty well in music," William said. "And the chip will help me with most tasks, provided I have the skill to base it off of. But still, there's not much I can do with that."

"They're always looking for bouncers or DJ's," Wilde supplied helpfully. "Those should be pretty easy to do."

"If I had references, or actual identification," William replied. "Or fur for that matter. I'm a human. We don't have fur."

"Didn't you say you were gene spliced with a wolf?" Hopps asked.

"And using the genetic modification holds too much wear and tear on the body to hold for long periods of time. When I'm not using it, I have to let it go dormant again," William explained. "So using that and trying to say I'm a wolf would be impossible. I'd be more easily attributed with a primate or something."

"Primates?" Hopps asked. "Like the ones from a few thousand years ago?"

"Wait, there aren't any primates here?" William asked.

"No," Hopps answered. "Far as we can tell, they just didn't evolve at the same rate as we did and eventually died out as they lost access to food sources and were unable to create tools to match ours."

* * *

 **A.N. Sorry just had to try to come up with a reason for why there are no primates. If they evolved at the same rate as the other mammals, then they'd have taken control early on because they already were using simplistic tools, communicating to an extent, such a sign language, and would have been the next logical apex predator. So no primates will be in this.**

* * *

"That's weird," William said. "Maybe the genetic… no, couldn't be that simple."

"What?" Hopps asked.

"Well in earlier stages of the war," William continued. "There were ideas to weaponize disease, but it would have to be very specific to a genetic code, so there were some created for different species to try to test it. They didn't want to test it on humans," he clarified. "But they were shut down and the prototypes were put into storage. With the collapse of the human rule, perhaps one of them got activate? And maybe it mutated enough to destroy all primates."

"But wouldn't it still be around then?" Wilde asked.

"No," William answered. "If it can't infect anything and reproduce, and the antibodies destroy it faster than it can produce, then it dies out. Over a few thousand years, it's very possible."

"Makes sense," Bogo said simply. "But back to the real matter, where are you going to live?"

"Uh," William thought for a few seconds. "Well, once I get a job, I'll probably just rent or purchase a warehouse somewhere. It's cheap for space and I'll just furnish it." He considered it. "Plus, I'll probably sell some of the things that I was given before cryosleep. Gold and jewels still have worth here right?"

"Yeah," Wilde answered. "But it depends on how much you have."

"As a way of funds," William answered. "They left about sixty pounds of gold in the capsule if I remember correctly."

"Sixty pounds?!" Wilde asked. "That would be around a million bucks!"

William laughed dryly. "It was insurance money mostly. If I come out, need money, and the currency changes, I could use that."

"They just gave you gold?" Wilde asked.

"In my time, gold wasn't that expensive," William said. "We had the technology to alter genetic code, do you not think we would learn how to manipulate atoms? We fulfilled the old adage of turning lead to gold."

"Wow," Wilde said as he fell back into his seat. "And we were worried about you being able to pay for a lawyer, or fines."

"As long as I can get those funds, then I'll be fine for a while," William said.

"Well, then you'll have no problems until you get a job," Wilde answered.

"Great," Bogo muttered. "We ended up using a loophole to keep a millionaire out of jail. If you ever try to pay me for anything, I'll be pissed. Corruption rumors are terrible even when not true."

"Uh, sure," William said. "So where are we going now?"

"We're heading to the lab," Hopps answered. "The doctors want to know more about you, your history, humans and their history, and about your pod."

William nodded in understanding. "Makes sense, and it'll allow me time to access my funds."

"Anything else on the agenda, Chief?" Wilde asked.

Bogo groaned. "Ah hell," he muttered. "We have a press conference."

"About him?" Hopps asked, pointing to William.

"Yes," Bogo answered. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Just please, can we avoid a fiasco like before."

"Absolutely," Hopps answered. "I'd rather not have a repeat."

"That whole thing was a nightmare," Wilde said. "Not just the press conference."

"Uh, what happened?" William asked.

"A megalomaniacal ewe was darting predators with a toxin that drove them to attack everyone and everything," Wilde answered.

"We're here," Hopps said. They all stepped out in front of the lab. William winced slightly at the sight of the broken window. That he would have to pay for. The mongoose from before walked out briskly and met them.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said to William. "You may be the best source of information in our history that we have ever found!"

"I'm not sure how much…" William began.

"You've lived before our written history, and much of our speculated history too!" The mongoose gushed. "I know I should settle down, but when I heard you got out so quickly after the judge tossed out the case, I couldn't help myself!"

"Hold up!" William shouted. The mongoose stepped back but still smiled. "Look, while I would like to help, I can only explain the human part of things, and for most of it I was unconscious, or hadn't been born yet."

"That'll be quite alright," the mongoose said. "But I must ask, what do you plan to do with your capsule? If you are hesitant to part with it, we will pay a hefty sum for access to it."

"That is a very generous offer," William said. "And I would accept, but first I have some items of my own that are in there that are not for sale at this time and I would like to keep them."

"Oh that's quite alright," the mongoose said. She laughed and quickly walked towards the doors. "It's right through here."

"Does she seem a little more…" Hopps whispered to Wilde

"Excited? Joyful? Insane?" Wilde asked. "She's probably absolutely ecstatic to be able to have access to our friend's information.

"Yeah," Hopps agreed. They followed the mongoose insided.

"And now for paperwork," Bogo groaned. How come Hopps and Wilde always got all the fun?

* * *

William walked into the lab where the capsule was still kept. Mammals surrounded it, taking notes, proding at it and repeatedly getting errors on the screens. "It's made for human hands," William said, startling many and causing them to step back. He stepped in front of the capsule, placed his right hand on the front screen, and began to speak. "William Dante Alastair," he said clearly. "Codename, Lycaon. Access to funds requested."

"Request granted," an automated voice spoke out. A cylindrical container, about two feet tall, and with a foot in diameter, a handle stood from the top. William lifted it and placed it on the floor beside him.

"Personal items requested," William stated again.

"Personal passcode required," the automated voice prompted as a key pad on the screen showed up. William typed in his code, 0112358 into the pad and waited for the pod to accept the passcode. "Passcode accepted." It stated again as another box was extended. This one was much larger, measuring close to three feet by four feet by one foot. William still lifted it with barely any exertion."

"I'm assuming those are your personal items and funds?" the mongoose asked.

"Yeah," William answered. "Now, I'm assuming you want access to the files, so I'll open all the ones I'm cleared to. That would be everything except government secrets and I have no way of accessing those at all."

"Yes please," the mongoose replied.

William turned back to the capsule. "Access to all files are to remain open until further notice."

"Warning, this is a significant security breach. All files allowed to be opened are historical files not of military value, and select technical advancements. These files are also quite lengthy, are you sure you want all files previously listed freely open?" The voice asked.

"Yes," William answered.

"Acknowleged. All previously mentioned files that can be opened are open," the machine answered.

"There you go," William said to the mongoose and other scientists who were close to leaping with joy. Untold answers awaited them.

"Thank you so much," the Mongoose said. "And we will provide you with funds as compensation as soon as you create a bank account and tell us where to route the funds."

"Thank you," William said. "Now, is there anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," the mongoose replied. "But I might think of something later."

"That's understandable," William answered. "Have a good day," he then began to walk towards the door.

"Was that it?" he heard Wilde ask. "I was expecting a huge safety protocol with huge machinery, passcodes, voice scans, eye scans, the whole package."

"You probably will only find that in movies," William said with a smirk. "Don't let your imagination get to you, Wilde."

"Ha ha," Wilde drawled hilarious. "And also, just call me Nick."

"Alright Nick," William answered. "Anyway, I'll see you around. I'll going to go look for a jewelry shop or something. Maybe they'll know where to go."

"Well," Hopps said. "We're not off shift yet, but Clawhauser is, so he could help you."

"Well, thank you but I don't know if that's a good idea," William said. "But I kinda was a little short with him. Kinda was a bit of a jerk. But thanks for the offer, Hopps."

"No problem," she said. "And just call me Judy."

"Well then, Judy, Nick," he shook their paws. "Thank you for helping me out." He turned and walked out the door and turned towards the street. Suddenly mammals with microphones and cameras all ran towards him, swarming him and each asking questions.

"Hold up!" He shouted. They all stepped back. "What's going on?"

"Uh, we're interviewing you," a beaver said.

"Me?" William asked. "What's so… oh right, human. Okay, fine, just ask one question at a time alright?" They all immediately clamored to be heard first. William sighed. This was going to be a long day.

 **A.N. Alright, sorry that this chapter took so long. Please just note that I am working on other stories as well, so they might not get finished within a timely manner. Anyway, this is really just backstory stuff at this point, but I hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, have a good day and please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N. Hey you guys! Sorry that each chapter takes so long. I've been juggling stories for a while, so it's not too bad, all things considered, but still, it takes a while to get each chapter out. Anyway, please read and review.**

William finally was able to get away from the reporters after a long period of questioning. Finally, they apparently ran out of air time, so they finally left him alone. With that, he was able to go try to find a place to sell his gold. After several places where the shop owners tried to swindle him, he was getting very annoyed.

"Eh," a Possum said looking at the gold in another shop. "I'll give you five hundred grand."

"Hell no!" William snarled. "Do you think I'm stupid? I'm done with you little scheming rats trying to swindle me!"

"Hey! I take offence to that remark!" William looked down to see a well dressed rat walking away.

"My apologies, I did not mean any offence," he apologised.

"Well, if you don't like it," the Possum said. "Then take it elsewhere."

"Fine, I will," William said angrily, he lifted the case and walked out the door. He left and walked around the block. He needed the money, but he wasn't going to take someone trying to swindle him. He idly considered a bank, perhaps that would work. Mentally he shrugged. It wasn't like he had a better option.

He stepped inside the Furs National Bank and walked to an available teller. The cheetah there winced and reached for something under her desk before stopping. "Is everyone gonna get freaked out at me?" William asked tiredly. "I was already released from all charges and I'm a citizen. I'm not a criminal, and I am a mammal. I am not some experiment done by your scientists. Do you have any other questions?" He looked at her expectantly. Honestly, with how many parasitic reporters had questioned him, you'd think he'd be recognised and everyone would know him by now.

"N-no sir," she stammered. "My apologies. How may I help you?"

"Well, I'm sort of a conundrum," William sighed. "I need to open an account with your bank, but I can't do so until I have funds to put in it, correct? However, I can't sell this yet, as it's a expensive enough item that they don't have cash to pay for it."

"I see," the cheetah said. "And what is it you're trying to sell?"

"Sixty pounds worth of gold," William answered, completely straight faced, and placing the container on the desk, a dull clank echoing through the room.

The cheetah stared at the container. "J-just let me get the manager."

* * *

A very long and complicated process later, William was able to get rid of the gold for more usable assets. Namely, over a million bucks. "Bucks," William muttered. "Of course, the slang term becomes the actual name." His new debit card and a small roll of hundreds in his pocket, he was set for a few days. Possibly. It depended on how soon he could find housing, and work. He walked for a bit before seeing a shopping district. He idly looked at his suit. While it was helpful and protective, it wasn't really useful outside of a war zone. He walked until he came to some clothing store or other. He really didn't care about the brands, he just needed a change of clothes. Quickly he found underwear, a pair of jeans, a black tee shirt, and belt. It appeared that shoes were a little less used, so finding those were harder, but he found a pair of black sneakers that could fit him. They were surprisingly well fitting, but he wasn't going to complain about it.

After paying for the clothes he found a public restroom and stepped into the stall. He reached up and tapped the metal at the back of his neck, focusing on it removing itself, and it complied. The fabric pulled itself towards his the center of his back, pulling most of the metal with it. It flattened into a compact disc in the small of his back, barely thick enough to even be noticed unless you looked for it. The rest of the metal moved towards his left wrist and formed a watch, simple in style, but functionable. This was mostly just to have the material at hand if needs be. That done, he quickly got dressed and put the money and card in his pocket.

He wasn't finished though. He continued, purchasing a wallet, and a Ramsung smartphone with a unlimited plan from Furizon. That done, he searched up where to go for the night, a hotel preferably. It was easy enough to find one, but it was much harder to find one that had open rooms, as when he inquired for a room, they were remarkably all full. Finally, he came to a small apartment room where the Armadillo who ran the place was willing to rent him a room for a short while.

With the key in hand, he walked up to his room and opened the door. The room was small, with a bed that would barely hold his size. It would do. He only needed to be there for a few days at most. Even if it took longer, he could deal with it for as long as needed. He had slept in worse places before. As he lay down, his stomach rumbled, reminding him of the basic needs of all creatures.

With a sigh, he stood up, stepped out into the hallway, and promptly tripped over someone, causing them to cry out in alarm. "Hey! Watch it!" A familiar voice called.

William looked to see that it was none other than officer Hopps. "Hopps?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here!" She retorted. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying here for a few days," William answered.

Hopps looked at him with disbelieve etched into her face. "And here I thought I wasn't going to see you again."

"Am I really that bad?" William asked.

"Besides you shooting at me?" She asked with a smirk.

William considered this. "Touche," he conceded.

"Where are you going?" Hopps asked. "Before you tripped on me, I mean."

"I was going to go get some dinner," William answered. "You should come too, and invite your partner and Chief. I really do owe you guys. It'll be my treat."

"And how are you going to pay for that?" Hopps asked. William just held up the roll of bills. "Right, forgot you're relatively well off."

"Oh c'mon Hopps," William drawled. "Don't be like that."

"I just think it's weird that you had sixty pounds of gold," She countered.

"As opposed to me being from thousands of years in the past?" William replied.

"Touche," Hopps answered. "I'll check with my chief, and my partner."

"Okay," William said. As she began to call one of the others, William began to scroll through his new phone, getting himself familiar with the setup.

"New phone?" Hopps asked.

"Yeah," William answered. "Just got it today."

"As opposed to yesterday?" she countered.

"Yes," he drawled. Hopps turned her attention back to the call as Nick picked up. Was Nick the buffalo or the fox? Returning his attention to his phone, he idly opened the Zoogle Play Store. He found a multitude of games, books, and movies. Maybe he'd find something to do here.

"Nick said he'd meet us out front in ten minutes," Hopps said.

"Which one's Nick?" William asked.

"Wilde," Hopps answered. "Oh, I'm Judy, by the way. If I'm not on duty, just call me Judy."

"I'm William," he replied. "But you already knew that." Judy nodded with a smile as she called someone else. As they walked out the door, William noticed that Hopps- no, Judy, was having to take easily three steps for everyone of his. He slowed down a bit so as to let her walk at an easier pace. As they got outside, he sat on the steps and she took a seat next to him. She finished her call before hanging up.

"Chief can't come," she said. "Said he had too much paperwork."

"I see," William said. "Oh well."

"Where'd you get the clothes?" Judy asked. "And what happened to your old ones?

"I bought these at some store or other," William answered. "I don't know which one. I didn't really care about brands. My old ones are compacted and ready to be called when I need them."

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

"They listen to my mental commands," William explained. "So I wanted them to be less visible, but available if I need them. They're currently compacted into a tiny disk on my back."

"I see," Judy answered. "So you're planning on living here for now?"

"Not long term," William replied. "I'm gonna look into purchasing a warehouse, and I'll furnish it. I've got plenty of time on my hands right now anyway."

Judy nodded and fell silent, thinking about another topic for conversation. "What kind of clothes did you buy?" She asked. "And do you have a tail?"

"I dunno," William said. "I just got what fit me. And why would I have a tail?"

"Well, most clothes have a hole for the tail," Judy said. "So, if you don't have a tail…"

"Shit," William muttered. "How didn't I notice that?"

"What are you gonna do?" Judy asked. William muttered obscenities under his breath and unclasped the watch and held it behind him. It seemed to liquify and covered the hole. After a few seconds, William placed his hand over where the hole had been and the liquid reformed into a watch. The hole was gone, with a well done stitch closing where it had been.

"How'd you do that?" Judy asked.

"It's a computer," William replied. "That does as I ask. I simply told it to patch the hole, and it did."

"That sounds like something out of a movie," Judy said.

"Well, we've got quite the technology," William replied.

"Hey Carrots," a fox said as he walked up to the two. "Enjoying yourself?" William immediately recognised Officer Wilde.

"Hey Wilde," William greeted the fox.

"Just call me Nick," the fox said as he shook William's hand. "I get enough 'Wilde' from the chief when he's mad at me."

"Does that happen often?" William asked.

"Ask Carrots," Nick replied. "She gets it just as much as I do."

"You get in trouble way more than I do," Judy huffed as she placed her paws on her hips.

"No I don't," Nick countered. "I get away with way more."

Judy looked at him aghast. "What did you do?"

"Mmmm, nothing," Nick replied. "Okay, maybe that's not strictly true. I may have rigged the copy machine to print everything twice, so Bogo's just signing multiple of the same document."

"If he finds out you did that," Judy groaned.

Nick's phone began to ring. "Speak of the devil," Nick muttered as he answered it on speaker.

"WILDE!" The Chief Bellowed. "I may not be able to prove it, but I know you're the one that messed with the copy machine! If I ever find proof, you're on parking duty for the rest of your life!"

"Roger that, Chief," Nick said with a smirk. Bogo ended the call and Nick chuckled. Judy was staring at him wide eyed and William was doing his best not to break down in laughter.

"Nick," Judy said dangerously. "You are my partner," she walked up to him. "And if you get parking duty, do you know what I get?" She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him down to her level. "I get parking duty. If I get parking duty because of you, I will make you regret it."

Nick gulped, suddenly very frightened. "Yes Ma'am."

William couldn't hold it anymore and began to laugh loudly and slumped against the stairs. "I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't help it. When you were getting told off by an adorable bunny that's just over half your height," he started laughing again. "That's too funny!"

"Shut it, Will," Judy growled. She then winced. "Is it okay if I call you Will?"

"Sure," William said. "I haven't been called that in a long time. "I've been called Ali pretty frequently."

"Ali?" Nick asked.

"My last name's Alistair," William explained.

"Ah," Nick said in understanding. He then changed topics. "So it's to my understanding you're buying?"

"Yup," William said. "You guys choose where, I don't know what places have good food."

Nick got a crafty look in his eye. "No!" Judy said quickly. "You are not going to recommend the most expensive restaurant in all of Zootopia." He glared at her before turning to say something. "Not the second most expensive restaurant either." Judy continued. "Three stars or lower."

"You don't want to be treated?" William asked.

"You can't possibly be willing to spend several hundred dollars on us," Judy defended. "Plus, we don't have reservations."

Nick nodded, conceding defeat. "Fine," he muttered. "You choose, Judy."

* * *

They ended up at a rather nice restaurant which catered to both prey and predators. It wasn't too expensive, and had more of a Mom and Pop restaurant feel that made it cozy. Mammals of all shapes and sizes sat in and ate there, and because it served omnivorously, William was able to eat things more focused towards his palate.

"This is a great place," he said. He carefully ignored the stares he got from other patrons, and the waitress, a lioness, stared for a few seconds before serving them. They sat in a larger booth that was a little more accommodating towards his size, but it wasn't too bad compared to some of the more usual sizes, such as those made for rodents, or smaller mammals, or even larger mammals like elephants and rhinos.

"The food's pretty good here," Nick said. "And it's also not too expensive." He took a bite his salmon.

"How do you guys eat meat?" William asked. "I mean, most of the animals that are eaten now live beside you."

"Bugs," Nick said simply.

"Must take a lot of bugs," William replied.

"How do you know that?" Judy asked.

"Human ate bugs too," he explained. "It was just more of a delicacy where I was from. It was considered exotic, but also wasn't to big of a deal. Crickets were pretty good. Tarantulas were great when they were fried. Scorpions were also eaten, though those were a little more rare."

"Is there any animal you didn't eat?" Judy asked.

"Well, not really," William admitted. "We didn't eat elephant, but they were hunted illegally for their tusks." A nearby elephant coughed as he inhaled too much to drink. "I probably shouldn't talk about it in, uh… mixed company."

"Did you guys eat birds?" Nick asked.

"Chicken, turkey, duck, maybe a few others," William answered.

"Reptiles?" Nick continued.

"Gator, snake, they're pretty good," William replied.

"Anything poisonous?"

"If they could get rid of the poison," William said. "They'd eat it. There's a fish that has a deadly toxin in itself that people would eat as a delicacy. If it was prepared wrong, you're dead, and even so, lots of people still died from eating it."

"Why?" Judy asked. "Why would they eat it if they could die?"

"It's supposed to be something so good it's worth the chance," William said with a shrug. "We ate some weird things. Like snails. Or frogs. Or even cow tongue."

"That's disgusting," Judy said with a shudder.

"We were the top of the food chain," William explained. "We were pretty much just trying to find new ways to eat."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Boredom? I dunno," William replied. He looked at his salmon that he had gotten at Nick's recommendation. He had eaten half of it quickly, but had found himself answering many questions.

"Makes absolutely no sense," Nick muttered. William made a mental note not to tell them about selective breeding. That would just open up a wave of questions that he had no idea how to answer.

"How're you liking Zootopia?" Judy asked.

"It's nice," William admitted. "Though the staring will be hard to get used to. And watching what I say will be a pain. Do you know how many sayings humans have that mention animals?"

"A lot?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," William replied.

"Care to give us examples?" Nick asked.

"Let's see," William thought. "Going to the dogs, which means it's falling apart, pearls before swine, which means something good was wasted, ratting someone out means telling on them, a mole is a spy, there's so many others."

"Woah," Judy said. "That's quite a few right off the top of your head."

"They're used pretty frequently," William replied.

"May I ask what a fox is attributed to?" Nick asked with curiosity.

"Fox?" William asked. He thought for a moment. "Usually they're attributed to being cunning, crazy, crafty, or opportunistic. That or when they talk about a fox, it's referring to a beautiful woman."

"Not as bad as I thought," Nick muttered.

"What about bunnies?" Judy asked.

"Well, rabbits are usually known for their huge breeding capacity," William explained.

"Of course that's all they focused on," Judy muttered.

"No, not necessarily," William answered. "The foot of a rabbit is supposed to be good luck."

"So you must be my lucky charm, Carrots," Nick chuckled. "After all, my whole life turned around because of you." He tweaked Judy's each with a smirk.

"Shut it, Nick," Judy muttered. "Anything else?"

"Down the rabbit hole," William replied. "Means that you started a long journey of complexity."

"Why do I feel like most of these things will only make sense to humans," Judy said.

"Maybe because we came up with them?" William replied.

"I guess," Judy answered. They continued eating while William swept the area with his eyes, habit from being usually under attack. He noticed several mammals taking glances at him nervously, and several business mammals giving him dirty looks. Nothing he couldn't deal with, but it would be something to get used to.

"You looking for something?" Nick asked.

"Just a habit," William answered, brushing it off. Nick nodded as though he understood. "It's just nerves from fighting all my life."

"I wasn't judging," Nick replied. "I still do the same thing." William looked at him curiously. "I wasn't always a cop on the up and up. I used to be a hustler. Not illegal, but something most people looked down on."

"I'm guessing it has something to do with species tensions?" William took a guess.

"How'd you know?" Judy asked.

"He's a predator," William replied. "So it would make sense that prey would be wary of him, and he smaller, so larger predators would look down on him. Couple that with how you reacted to foxes being thought of as cunning, or crafty, or possibly untrustworthy, and it makes sense that foxes are given less respect than other mammals, or make them much more wary."

The two mammals looked at him with shock. "Woah," Nick said. "That was pretty damn accurate. How'd you know that?"

William tapped the side of his head. "Computer helps with a lot of it, but I was more of a specialty soldier. I had to understand the dynamics of opposing forces, civilizations, and even my own allies."

"So you're street smart," Nick clarified.

"Yeah," William agreed. "But it was more of a tactical use rather than just being good on my own."

"Still," Judy said. "That's pretty amazing."

"Thank you," William said. He finished the last few bites and placed his utensils on his plate.

"So have you thought about what you're gonna do for a job?" Judy asked.

"Maybe start as a bouncer and then work up to private security," William said. "It's got a bit more to my specific skill set than being a cop or something."

"What's wrong with being a cop?" Nick asked.

"Nothing," William replied. "It's just not the job for me. I need something a little less paperwork and public image."

"What if we asked you to be a consultant?" Nick asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's just something that's in T.V. shows and movies," Judy replied.

"Couldn't hurt to ask Bogo," Nick defended. "But if it's an option, would you consider it?" He asked, turning back to William.

"I guess," William answered. "Probably, I mean, it just depends on whether I have something I have to do first."

"That's fair, I mean, if you have a job, that probably comes first before freelance work," Nick said.

With that, William called the waitress over for the payment and paid straight up with cash, giving a generous tip for the three of their meals. As they walked out the door, William stifled a yawn. It had been a long day.

"Tired?" Judy asked.

"What do you expect?" He asked. "It's been a long day."

"True," Nick admitted. They walked back down the street towards the apartments.

"So where are you staying, Nick?" William asked.

"Under a bridge," Judy said with a laugh.

"No, I don't," Nick answered. "That was a one time thing that you found me in. I've got a nice apartment, in a good part of town."

"Off police pay?" Judy asked. "Housing's expensive here!"

"Eh, I did a favor for a guy and he gave me some benefits," Nick replied. Judy shook her head and sighed. Nick noticed. "Hey! It's not like that! I simply showed his kids some shortcuts to avoid bullies after school!"

Judy looked up at Nick with a look of awe. "Really?"

"And I started hustling the bullies pretty exclusively," Nick admitted.

"Of course," Judy said with a roll of her eyes causing Nick to slump at her reaction. William chuckled. "What are you laughing at?" She turned to him.

"He is well and truly whipped. You've practically got him eating out of the palm of your hand," William replied.

Judy blushed and Nick laughed. "Oh please, as if I'd ever become 'whipped', as you called it."

"That's what they all say," William countered. He then faltered as a thought came to him. "Do different species relationships happen?" He wondered.

"They're not very widely accepted," Judy admitted. "But they do happen. Just like there are lesbian, gay, and transgenders, there are those that are in differing species relationships. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," William answered. In truth, he had thought that Nick and Judy were possibly in a relationship, but now it seemed like it wasn't much more than a partnership though they seemed to be much more comfortable with each other.

As they met up at the apartments, William stretched. It was getting late, and he was tired. "Thanks for joining me, guys," he said to Nick and Judy.

"You're very welcome," Nick said with a smirk. "Though, we should be thanking you, you paid for the meal." He turned to Judy. "See you at work, Carrots."

"See you, Nick," she replied, covering a yawn as well. As Nick walked down the street, William stepped inside and held the door for Judy. As they walked up the stairs to their respective rooms, Judy sighed. "Just gonna warn you. Two of our neighbors are pretty loud."

"I see," William drawled. "If they get too annoying, I'll knock their heads together."

"I'd like to see you try, buddy!" He looked up to the closed door down the hall.

"How'd they hear that?" He wondered. "With the door closed and everything."

"I've stopped trying to figure it out," Judy sighed. "Anyway, goodnight."

"Can't you arrest them for disturbing the peace?" He wondered.

"Nope!" The voice called. "We're well within our rights! It's not our fault the walls are so thin!"

"If they're actually that thin, I'll slam their fucking heads through it," William grumbled. He walked into his room. "See you later Judy."

"Bye, William," Judy said as she walked into her room. William stepped into his room and closed the door. He undressed and then laid in his bed. He'd need to start getting ready to begin living in this time. After all, it wasn't like he could go back in time. He mentally shrugged, deciding to follow that train of thought tomorrow. He closed his eyes and resolutely went to sleep. Training allowing him to get sleep whenever he needed and at the best opportunities. It lasted for all of three seconds before he heard muffled yelling. He groaned and rolled over, covering his head with his pillow. He was going to go smash their heads together.

"Shut up!" He yelled. They complied, surprisingly. He lay back down and started to go back to sleep. He let his eyes close and then heard a loud thump. Then the yelling resumed. He groaned, trying to tune them out. This was going to be a long night.

 **A.N. Okay, not my best, but this really was a filler chapter. After all, this is a relative lull in the story, but don't worry, we'll get right back into this, so please don't be mad at me. Again, I must apologise for the fact that I have very sporadic updates. I'll update as much as I can, but I do have other stories I work on as well. Anyway, have a good rest of the day, and please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N. Hello fellow friends. This story kind of fell on the backburner recently. I'm so sorry. I'm going to try to update all of my stories more often, but that's going to be hard because school has started up again. But anyway, on with the story, so please read and review.**

William sat up instantly alert, his eyes quickly taking in the room around him. He was still in the room he had paid for, and the sun was barely up. He stretched and stood up, hearing his bones crack and pop in his joints. Now what? He thought about it. He could see if there were any jobs for him. He had plenty of money for now, but it wouldn't last forever. He eyed the clothes on the floor from yesterday. He shrugged. He'd gone longer without a fresh change of clothes. He'd need to get another few pairs. And a backpack. He didn't want to end up carrying too much clothes and odds are, he'd need to find a new place to stay soon. He resolutely dressed and stretched. He walked out the door and down the steps and heard his stomach rumble. He pulled out his phone and looked for a breakfast place on Zoogle Maps.

Most weren't open. Shocker. It was pretty early. He heard the a door shut and turned to see Judy walk down the steps, dressed in jogging shorts and a tank top. Her earbuds were in and Ipawd in hand. She saw him and pulled out her earbuds. "Well, you're up early," she stated. "Any reason why?"

"Not really," WIlliam replied. "I just woke up and decided to get breakfast, but nothing's open right now."

"Yeah, they won't open up for another hour," Judy answered. "And I have to be on shift in two hours so I've got enough time for a quick run before I leave."

"Already all bright and bushy tailed?" William asked. She looked at him with confusion. "It means awake and ready to go," William explained. "I think it's referencing a squirrel. Not sure though."

"Ah," Judy said as understanding dawned on her. "Well, yeah. I'm used to getting up early to help on my parents farm, or for the police academy, or just in general."

"Makes sense," William said. "Don't suppose your parents need any help on the farm? I'm kinda looking for a job."

"Looking for a job?" Judy asked. "Why? You're kinda set already."

"Yeah, but the money will eventually run out," William said. "So I'd rather have a job, even if it's just a short time."

"Well," Judy thought. "My folks might want some help, but with as many siblings as I have, I don't think they'll be short handed. I'll send them a message though."

"Thanks, Judy," William said. "Well, I've kept you long enough. Don't want to be late."

"It's fine," Judy said as she began putting her earbuds back in. "And if you're looking for breakfast, I think McDonkey's opens up in about an hour or so. Maybe sooner. Anyway, see you later." She then began her jog down the street.

William then looked for a McDonkey's on his phone and saw that one was open just a street over. It was a little unhealthy, but then again, he hadn't had anything fast food in what, a few thousand years. He could deal with one fast food run.

* * *

Chief Bogo was on his third cup of coffee. He had been up early again, this time due to a call about a double homicide. He'd put Hopps and Wilde on it. Wilde was fresh to the force, but he was smart. Too smart for his own good sometimes. But when it came down to it, those two were some of his best officers. He doubted they wouldn't get it done. Hell, Wilde helped Hopps solve a case no one else could solve and he hadn't even been on the force yet.

A knock on the door drew his attention. He looked up to see Clawhauser open the door, out of breath. "Chief," he gasped. "We found the Weasel."

"What?" Bogo asked. "Where is he?"

"He's in the-" Clawhauser took another long breath. "Interrogation room." He panted. "I need to invest in a treadmill."

Bogo shook his head and stood, quickly walking out past Clawhauser. "You need to lay off the doughnuts too. Otherwise it won't make a difference. I'd know. I had to lose forty pounds in a month. Didn't make it, but I gave it my best."

Clawhauser nodded and walked back towards the front desk while Bogo walked down to the interrogation room. Why did Weaselton pop up now? He'd completely went underground and they'd seen neither hide nor hair of him, and he just pops back to the surface? This could go really well, or really bad.

"Weaselton," Bogo rumbled as he stepped into the room. "Duke Weaselton. Plenty of counts of petty theft, one of arson, and a few more of shoplifting. You aren't accused of anything yet, so why the hell did you run away, and make us have to search for you as we would a missing mammals?"

"I don't deal with cops," the weasel said simply before shuddering. "Usually."

"Then why are you here?" Bogo asked.

"Because, you're probably the least likely to have a dirty cop working," Weaselton answered.

Bogo glared at him. "I don't deal with dirty cops. In my precinct or any other."

"Good," Weaselton said. "That makes you probably the most trustworthy here."

"And why is that?" Bogo asked.

The weasel's eyes shifted around, as if looking for something. "Because someone's trying to kill me."

* * *

William finished off the breakfast sandwich he had gotten from McDonkey's and sat down at a bench at a nearby park. The sandwich tasted great, but he could almost feel pounds packing themselves on. He began to make a mental list of what to do today. He needed to buy more clothes, the normal toiletries, or as close as they got, and he needed to find an option for work. He looked at his watch and saw that it had only been about an hour. Would anything be open right now?

He stood up and began to walk back to the apartment. Perhaps the landlady would have some advice. He saw young children walking down the sidewalks, probably going to school. A few were playing soccer, or at least something similar. A cub kicked the ball too hard and the ball came flying at him. With ease, William reached up, caught the ball, and spun it on his finger. He dropped it to the ground and passed the ball back to the cub who promptly returned to playing with a thank you to William.

He continued on and soon arrived at home. He walked in and began to look for the landlady. She wasn't at the counter, and he couldn't see anyone in the back office. He shrugged and walked up the stairs. At his room, he saw the armadillo berating the animals that he could only assume were the ones from the loud room.

"What's going on?" He wondered aloud.

"Something about a lost key," Judy said as she stepped out. "She's a little grumpy right now, so I wouldn't bother her."

"I see," William mused. "Well, see you later, Officer Hopps."

"See you, Will," she replied as she quickly scampered down the stairs before running back up. "Oh, and my parents messaged me back. They said that they really need another set of paws for the next few days. A few of my siblings all caught rabbititis, so they're unable to help right now."

"So what do I do?" William asked.

"Find a train to Bunnyburrow," Judy answered. "And pack up your stuff for a few days. The next train to Bunnyburrow should be leaving at noon, if I remember correctly."

"Any reason why the rush?" William asked.

"I think they're a bit behind schedule for the harvest right now," Judy replied.

"Tell him I'll be on the next train to Bunnyburrow I can find," William replied. After all, he wasn't too attached to where he was right now. He just got there. He turned to the landlady who was walking back towards them. "Hey, can I turn in my key? I'm going to be leaving."

"Fine," she huffed, holding out her paw. He fished the key out of his pocket and dropped it in her outstretched palm.

William then walked out into the city, looking for an open clothing store, and a place to buy a pack. He had a certain timetable to keep now.

* * *

"Hey, Carrots," Nick said with a smirk as he saw Judy walk in. "Long time no see."

"We saw each other last night," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Did you miss me?" He asked smugly.

"You? Pfffff. No. I actually was dreading coming to work and seeing your ugly mug again," Judy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Carrots!" Nick cried dramatically, reeling back, holding a paw over his heart as he adopted a wounded look. "I'm hurt! How could you say that about me? The fox that's finally become a cop to help you out."

"You didn't have to be a cop," Judy retorted. "I'm proud of you, and glad you are, but it was your choice."

"Well you certainly made it easier," Nick replied.

Judy looked at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying," Nick said, tweaking her ear playfully. "You're quite the inspiration. I mean, you even inspired little Toot Toot to follow his dreams."

"I thought you guys dropped that scam," Judy deadpanned.

"We did," Nick replied. "Last I heard, Fin was looking into being a chauffeur."

"Really?" Judy asked.

"Really, really," Nick answered.

The two stepped into the bullpen and both climbed up into one chair that would hold a larger mammal usually. McHorn sat down beside them and took a sip of coffee. One that he didn't usually have. Many other mammals filed in and Nick noticed that a few more than usual had coffee. "Late night?" He asked.

"Yeah," McHorn rumbled. He then proceeded to mumble something about a stupid weasel and protection.

Chief walked in, and the banging on the tables began as the daily occurrence started, though this time it was a little more subdued.

"Alright! Enough!" Chief shouted. He then began to list off the assignments, and Nick's thoughts turned to why they were all so tired. He listened once his and Judy's names were called. "Hopps, Wilde. Parking duty." Judy's face fell and it was likely mirrored by his own. "Just kidding!" The chief said with a laugh. "We have a street racer going through the streets. Stop him in his tracks." With that, he turned and left.

"Well," Nick sighed as they left. "How much do you want to bet that was as revenge for my prank?"

"Nick," Judy hissed. "Don't do anything stupid today. Please."

"Alright, I won't," Nick said. "So let's go catch this guy."

* * *

William stood at the train station and waited. The train was supposed to be there soon, and he was a little nervous. It was bad enough that the mammals at Zootopia were freaked out at him. He wondered how the small town of Bunnyburrow would receive him. Wait, did Judy even tell them that he was a human? Hell, did they even know he was coming?

He heard the train coming and hoisted his pack over his shoulder. He had enough for a few days, and that was all he needed. The train doors opened and William stepped in through the larger doors. While he wasn't quite as big as some of the animals, he was much too big to get through the smaller doors, and he doubted he could even get a foot into the doors for the rodents. As he stepped through he saw glances from other mammals at him and he rolled his eyes. Idiots. He sat down on an empty bench and noticed a tiger cub looking at him. He pulled out his phone and new earbuds, putting them in and pulling up some music. He wished he had some of his music from his era. Wait a second. He had enough memory in the chip that it recorded practically every song he heard.

"God, I'm such an idiot," he muttered placing his hand over the back of his neck, the watch changing into a cord that plugged into the back of his neck and then stretched down into the phone port, transferring songs he had loved or heard into the phone. After a few seconds, the cord disconnected and reformed into his watch. He put it on random play and was greeted by the song "Anywhere but here," by Simple Plan. He leaned back, closed his eyes and listened to the music as the train pulled out.

He felt a tap on his knee, causing him to open his eyes. He saw the little tiger cub looking at him. "Uh, hi," he said with a slight wave.

The tiger looked at him with wide eyes. "Uh, what are you?" he asked.

William chuckled. "I'm a human," he said simply.

"What's a human?" the tiger cub asked.

"Jack!" A voice called. The cub and William turned to see an elderly tigress at a different bench, squinting through her glasses. "Leave that poor mammal alone. Don't just bother others."

"It's alright, Ma'am," William said. "The day the young lose their curiosity is the day the world ends." The tigress seemingly didn't hear him, or perhaps just ignored him. He turned to the tiger cub. "I'm a human. We were basically your predecessors."

"What are pred-ec-ess-ors?" The cub asked, sounding out the word hesitantly. "Is it something like a predator? Cause that's what others call me."

"No," William said with a chuckle. "It means something or someone who was followed or replaced."

"Is that why you look so weird?" the cub asked. "I haven't seen anyone that looks like you."

"I'm the last human," William answered.

"How?" The cub asked. William was about to answer when the train slowed with a screech. William caught the cub as he fell forward and looked towards the front as the lights flickered. A bang on the door echoed through the car and William pushed the cub behind him.

* * *

A hooded figure watched a screen in front of him with interest. A new… individual, had shown up, and he was interested. There were many plans set in motion, but none ever succeeded due to the idiocy of those who were the necessary go betweens. A test for this creature would be in order. The screen showed the creature in the train. It was easy to tap into the camera systems. Even easier to get the operatives on the train. A sigh escaped the hooded figure. "Let's see what you're made of."

* * *

The train began to move again and the door slid open, revealing a ram, who somehow was much larger than he should be. The horizontal pupils darted around the car, and a cruel smile twisted across his face. "Perfect," the ram snarled. "Plenty of filthy preds here." He pulled what William could only describe as a paintball gun from his back. Many of the passengers gasped, and a few outright screamed.

"Hey!" William called. He needed to keep the ram's attention on him. At least until he found out what was in the gun. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"What should have been done a long time ago," the Ram snarled. He leveled the gun at William's face and fired. William's mental command caused the nanite fabric to quickly spread across his body, the nanosteel covering the bottom half of his face as he leaned back away, causing the paintball to smash against the mask, covering it with a strange blue substance that was not paint.

"What the…?" The ram muttered.

"That's not paint," William growled. He shot forward, and dropped, spinning, and sweeping the goat's legs out from underneath him. This was followed by reaching up, snatching the gun out of his hooves and tossing it away. The ram landed hard, the wind rushing out of him. William quickly grabbed him and threw him on his front. He wrenched both hooves back and let some nanosteel form cuffs over his hooves. Then, with ease, he picked him up under his arm.

"You have two options," William said. "Tell me what was in the gun, or I'll find out myself by shooting you with it." The ram just laughed. "What's so funny?" William growled.

"It's reversible," the Ram laughed. "Not too harmful."

"It's Nighthowler," a mammal called out. William turned to see a lioness. "It's meant to cause damage through others."

"Care to elaborate?" William asked.

The lioness nodded. "A little while ago, a huge plot, led by Assistant Mayor Bellwether was enacted to start convincing the city that predators were going savage. This is what caused it. These little bits of the liquid would cause them to to go insane, attacking everything."

William nodded before turning back to the ram. "Alright, new questions. Who all is with you, and what are your plans?"

"I'm not telling you a thing," the ram growled.

"Fine then," William said. He grabbed the ram by the horns and dragged him towards the doors between cars. "If you won't talk, I'll just toss you off the train. I don't have time for this." He opened the door and the ram began so shriek.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" he cried. William tossed him back in. "There are two others. One's at the engine, the other's giving him backup. We were supposed to dart predators on the train and let them loose in Bunnyburrow!"

"A town of prey attacked by a horde of predators," William mused. "Well, who came up with this plan?"

"We were given everything in a box that was delivered to my door," the ram answered hurriedly. William slammed him against an armrest and the nanosteel cuffs quickly bound themselves to the armrest before he set them to be dormant.

"Hey," he called to the lioness. "If he tries to escape. Shear him."

"Shear?!" The ram bleated.

"How close?" the lioness asked with a grin.

"Not quite enough to draw blood," William said. "But if you accidentally cut him…" he shrugged. "It'll be fine." He then turned and stepped through the doors. The gun would be a bad idea in these conditions. He was a great shot, but he didn't want to leave anything up to chance.

* * *

The figure tapped impatiently at the armrest. The creature was good. And ruthless. Maybe he'd be useful. The figure turned back to the screen, shifting to another camera.

* * *

William peered through each door before stepping through and each time he saw cowering mammals. Many older mammals protecting their young. Some shied away from him, but that was to be expected. He was wearing body armor that concealed most of him anyway. He walked through the last car and peered into the engine. He saw a large hare at the controls and a buck watching the hare from the side. The buck held a baseball bat over his shoulder and the hare had another of the paintball guns at his side. This was going to be harder than he would expect. The buck's antlers would be the most dangerous, but the hare with another one of those guns would be able to cause a lot of havoc.

He slowly began to weaken the door's locking mechanism and hinges with the nanosteel. The nanosteel slowly cutting through the hinges and lock. Nanosteel was stronger than most metals. Especially if it was being actively controlled. He left it for a few more seconds and then pulled the nanosteel back into his suit. He took a step back and then slammed his shoulder into the door, smashing it off its weakened hinges. The buck turned and raised his bat, but he never had a chance to use it. William planted a foot in his stomach and when the buck bowed over in pain, kneed him in the jaw. The hare reached for the gun, but William was faster, grabbing the hare by his ears and throwing him into the buck,who was already unsteady, causing them to fall over. William wasted no time, quickly grabbing the hare and tying him to one of the buck's antlers with nanosteel before binding the buck's four hooves together. He grabbed the other antler and dragged the pair into the train car.

"Where's the conductor," he snarled.

The hare groaned and seemed to think about objecting, but he thought better of it and visibly deflated. "He's in the baggage compartment," he said, gesturing to the overhead compartment. William opened the compartment to see a smaller rabbit, tied and gagged.

"Well," William said with a dry chuckled. "At least you can say your job wasn't boring." He pulled the rabbit out and untied him.

"Thanks," the rabbit said simply. He quickly ran to the engine and William heard him radio in about the attempt on the train. "There was a third," he said to William.

"Already got him," William replied. "He's tied up in another car. I'll bring these two with me so they're all in the same place."

The rabbit nodded. "We'll be in Bunnyburrow in close to ten minutes. These idiots pushed the speed, so we're ahead of schedule."

"Alright," William said with a nod as he grabbed the buck's antler and began to drag him again. "It's alright folks," he said to the still frightened Mammals. "Everything's under control."

* * *

The figure scoffed at the screen and then pulled out a remote which was used to turn off the screen. The figure stood up and laughed. "A new variable. Not all that surprising, all things considered. Perhaps it's time to bring in new players. And old players too." Lights flickered on, and the figure walked down a hallway to a set of thick metal doors. "Let's see how things play out. Too soon will tip the hand. All good things to those who wait."

* * *

As the train pulled into the station, William stood, grabbing the ram by one leg and the buck by his antler. The hare still bound to the antler was muttering something about not being paid enough, but William just didn't care. He was greeted by a tall muscular buck in a sheriff's outfit. Not counting the antlers, the buck was an inch or two taller, but he wasn't much taller. "Are you the one that stepped up on the train?" the buck asked.

"Uh, yes?" William said, half questioning.

"Good job," the buck said simply as he gave Nick a nod. "If these yahoo's had actually finished their plot, we'd be, well, to put it frankly, screwed."

"It's not a problem," William said.

"Not anymore, thanks to you," the buck said. "But anyway, welcome to Bunnyburrow." William released each one in turn, taking back the nanosteel, letting the sheriff cuff each mammal. As the buck led them away, William turned and looked at the station, that was swarming with rabbits.

"Woah," he breathed. "That's a lot of bunnies."

* * *

Nick and Judy walked past the front desk, holding a cuffed sloth. "Why're you holding him?" Clawhauser asked.

"He wasn't moving almost at all!" Judy complained. "If we had waited for him, we'd end up being there until nightfall!"

"Fair point," Clawhauser admitted. "What'd you get him on?"

"You know the speedster Bogo had us go to catch?" Judy huffed. "This is the guy."

"The sloth?" Clawhauser asked, disbelieving. "Most sloths barely can drive! Or even get where they're going on time!"

"Well this guy can," Judy drawled. "Isn't that right, Flash?"

"I….plead…." the sloth began.

"The fifth?" Judy asked with annoyance.

"My…fifth….amendment…right," he finished.

"Well," Nick chuckled. "We caught him. Though we could probably just leave him here and he wouldn't have gotten far by morning."

"No, Nick," Judy grumbled. "Let's get him to a cell." She huffed as she began to walk again, Nick right behind her, the two of them holding the sloth.

Bogo watched unnoticed from his office. He rolled his eyes. What were the odds that the sloth would be the speedster? And the fact that he was moving with ability that showed much faster reaction times… it was astounding, though illegal. His phone on his desk began to ring and Bogo sighed. He picked up the phone and sat down. "Hello?" He asked.

"Uh, sir," the voice of Clawhauser said. "We have three perps down at Bunnyburrow."

"And how is this our problem? Or even in our jurisdiction for that matter?" Bogo grumbled before taking a drink of coffee.

"Well, they were attacking the train, and had Nighthowler serum," Clawhauser stated, causing Bogo to spew his coffee. He rubbed his face as he groaned.

"Goddamnit," he muttered. "So what do they want?"

"They want us to take the perps over here so that they are held more securely until their trial which will be held here as they commited the crime on the train leaving our station," Clawhauser answered. "So do we have anyway of doing this?"

"Hopps and Wilde just got back," Bogo answered. "We'll send them to the station. The Bunnyburrow sherif will have to take them back on the train for the transfer."

"Alright," Clawhauser said. "I'll tell him that."

Bogo sighed. "Why can't we get rid of that damn plant!"

* * *

William looked around the station. There were lots of mammals, mostly bunnies, though there were some other mammals, such as stoats, a fox, and a tiger even. Several sheep also were spread through the crowd, and several watched the sheriff, or more accurately, the prisoners. They had varying degrees of disbelief, disgust, or anger. They obviously didn't care for how these mammals had acted, but it was concerning to say the least. What was going to happen if the serum was used? Hell, what would have happened if it had hit him? He was mostly confident that the nanites in his bloodstream would have helped him removed the serum from his body quickly, but how quickly? It was worth thinking about. He might need to get more extensive body armor, or at least something to cover his face.

With that thought, he turned and looked through the crowd. How the hell was he going to find his new employers?

* * *

Stu Hopps looked around the station for the bunny that Judy had sent to help out. Bonnie stood right beside him. He couldn't see any bunnies that weren't already meeting with family, or were usual residents. "Where is this guy?" He wondered. "Better call Judy. Should probably let her know about what happened on the train too." He pulled out his phone and placed the call, listening to it ring on the other end. After two rings, it was picked up and he heard chuckling on the other end.

"Hey Dad," he heard Judy say as someone else laughed in the background. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing much," he responded. "But there was something that happened on the train."

"Oh, yeah," Judy answered. "We heard about that. Did anyone get hurt?"

"Not that I know of," Stu replied. "But besides that, what's the name of the bunny you sent to help us?"

"He's not a bunny, Dad," Judy said. "I never said he was a bunny. And he's pretty hard to miss."

"Well, what's he look like?" Stu asked. In his head he cursed, and prayed for it not to be a big predator. A deer, a vole, even a badger. Just not a lion, or tiger, or anything else that could see him as simply a snack. And definitely not a fox. Gideon becoming a good fox didn't make the rest of them good.

"Well…," Judy started. "He looks really… different. He doesn't have much fur. He's about as tall as a deer, or wolf, and he doesn't have a tail either."

"I see," Stu said, as he saw a mammal that fit that description, but he really hoped it wasn't him. He was large. Very large. He could easily have three more bunnies stacked on top of each other, and still they'd be shorter. Perhaps a different mammal, one who lost his fur and tail in an accident?

"He's also probably looking for you," Judy said. "He doesn't know who you are." The mammal was looking around, and no one seemed to recognise him.

"Sweet cheese and crackers," Stu muttered. "What's his name?"

"William," Judy replied. "William Dante Alistair." She paused. "You see him, don't you." Stu didn't answer. "Dad, he's not gonna eat you. Or bite you for that matter."

"But he could," Stu halfway whined.

"Dad…," Judy drawled.

"I know, I know," he answered. "Alright. Thanks for your help. See you later Jude the Dude." He hung up and did his best to pluck up his courage. Who knows? He might not the be the one.

"I think that's him," Stu told Bonnie. They walked towards the mammal who had turned so his back was too them now. "Excuse me?" Stu asked. The mammal turned around looked around, then did a double take, looking down at the rabbits. He crouched down, so that he was sitting on his heels almost. "Are you William?"

"Yeah," The mammal said.

Stu mentally said strike one. "William Alistair?" The mammal nodded. Strike two. "William Dante Alistair?" he nodded again. Strike three. "I'm Stu Hopps," he said. "I was told you're looking for work?"

"Yes I am," William said. "I was told you're looking for help?"

"Well, yes," Stu said. He felt his courage start to fade in face of this large mammal.

"We're a little short handed," Bonnie said, saving him from having to continue. Thank god for that bunny. "We were expecting to have to get lots more help, but if you're willing, you might actually be all the help we need."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Hopps," William said. "I'm just looking for work, so a few days of work will be fine."

"Have you ever worked on a farm?" Bonnie asked.

"No," William answered. "But I'm a quick learner and I'm used to hard work."

"Well then," Bonnie said. "You're hired. We'll discuss your pay on the way to the farm."

"Yes Ma'am," William said. The three walked off towards the end of the station and William saw a slightly run down blue pickup truck. One that was much too small for him to ride in.

"Oh cheese and crackers," Bonnie said. "I don't know how we'll get you to the farm. I didn't think about how you're, well, a bit big for the truck. Stu, behind the two, silently pumped his fist once as he mentally cheered. The mammal wouldn't be able to come with them!

"Oh it'll be fine," William said. Stu stopped and looked up at him. "I'll just run alongside you guys. Can I put my bag in the back?"

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked. "We can try to get you a cab, or we can all walk."

"It'll be fine, Ma'am," William said.

"Well, if you're sure," Bonnie said hesitantly. Stu mentally cursed. A deal was a deal, but he'd be watching this mammal. And most likely keeping his fox taser on hand. It was meant for foxes and other mammals of similar size, but if he cranked up the energy, it'd definitely put him out.

William put his pack in the back of his truck and waited for the two rabbits to get in. Stu turned the keys and the truck revved to life, among much sputtering and gasping of the engine. Stu slowly pressed the gas and the truck began to drive down the road. Only at a measly ten miles per hour. He looked out the window to see William jogging along with no apparent effort. "You can go faster if you want," William called. Stu nodded and pushed the gas, increasing the speed up to the full limit on that road of forty five miles per hour.

"Stu," Bonnie chided. "You can't possibly expect him to keep this speed." She looked out the window and stopped. "Well, I guess he can." Stu looked out the window to see William keeping pace with ease, breathing slow and steady as his feet pounded the ground, keeping him right beside the truck.

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Bonnie," Stu said just loud enough for her to hear. "When we said we'd need help and that Judy's friend could come and work for us, we were expecting a rabbit. Well, at least I was."

"True," Bonnie said. "But Judy's always been a good judge of character. If she trusts him, I think we can trust him." She then turned to Stu with a stubborn look in her eye. "And don't you dare get that fox taser out on him. He's our guest."

"And where would we have him sleep?" Stu asked. "I doubt he'll actually fit inside the burrow! He's much too big! Where would he sleep? The barn?"

"I don't know," Bonnie admitted. "But we'll deal with it, one problem at a time. Besides, he's going out of his way to help us."

Stu was quiet after this. "Well, it's too late to change now, so we'll just make the best of it. But I will be watching him."

"I know you will, Stu," Bonnie consoled him. "But I doubt it'll be entirely necessary."

 **A.N. Hello all! I finally finished this chapter! Wow, it took a long time. I finally finished it cause I had time on my hands after getting my wisdom teeth out. Now. Just to clear up a few things, William is looking for work, and he had no real reason to want to stay in Zootopia at this point, so he was fine with leaving the city to find work. I know that's not a normal turn of events, but it does make sense. Anyway, please leave a review, and have a good day.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N. Hello everyone. I'm so sorry that every story I have has taken such a long time between chapters. School has been killing me lately, and I finally got the chance to work on my stories. So sorry it took so long, here is the next chapter.**

 **-(((Later note: This Chapter is disturbing at the end! THIS IS NOT FOR THOSE EASILY DISTURBED OR YOUNG CHILDREN! If you noticed, this is now a rated M story.)))**

As the Hopps pulled up to their home, William slowed to a stop as he saw a moderately sized house, at least by human standards. By rabbit standards, it was probably pretty big. It was three stories tall, but at the hight of what would be a two story house for a human. Out of every window, he could see dozens of rabbits of various sizes all watching.

"Well, here's our home," Bonnie said as she stepped out of the truck. "We're a little behind on the harvest, so would you be okay with starting soon?"

"I can start whenever you're ready," William answered. "Just what do you need?"

"Well we grow lots of different crops," Bonnie answered while Stu walked into the house. "We grow carrots mainly, but we also grow wheat, barley, oats, various vegetables and fruits, and hay as well."

"I see," William said. "So what do you need me to do?"

"We have plenty of things that need doing," Bonnie said. "But the biggest problem is the hay. We need someone to take the bales to the barn, and as the older siblings are sick, not enough of the others know how to drive a tractor."

"I can just carry them," William said offhandedly. "How big are the bales?"

"Usually they're around thirty or so pounds," Bonnie said. "Which may not be much for you, but they're pretty heavy in comparison to us."

"How tall are you?" William asked.

"I'm about two foot eleven inches when you include the ears," Bonnie replied. "Why?"

"Curiosity," William replied as his mind filed away the information. If she was almost three feet, then the gap in sizes between species must have gotten much smaller. The question was if larger mammals such as elephants also got smaller or if they had gotten larger as well.

Filing the question away for later, William stretched. "Well, just tell me where to go and where to put the bales and I'll get it done for you."

"Uh, sure," Bonnie replied. "But I'll come with you so that my kits know you're working for us right now. They have gotten skittish around larger mammals before."

"Understandable," William said with a nod. "It's hard to ignore instinct."

"I'm sorry?" Bonnie asked with a quizzical tilt to her head.

"Oh, sorry," William said. "I just, well, I've uh… been around for a long time, so I know how instincts can… damnit. I really have got to watch what I say."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"You guys saw the news didn't you?" William asked in return. Bonnie nodded. "Then you know that I'm human and was born a long time ago right?"

"Oh! You were in the case thing that Harrison found!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Who?" William asked.

"My nephew," Bonnie replied. "So you're from the past then? So you knew us as…"

"Animals only," William answered. "And being that a large amount of our sayings involve animals, mammals get confused by my way of speaking often, and that doesn't even include just me referring to animals from my time when I'm not paying attention to what I'm saying."

"No harm done," Bonnie said as the pair walked towards the field. "Mind if I ask some questions?"

"Sure," William replied. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you carnivorous?" Bonnie asked. "We don't have any meat here."

"It's fine," William said. "I'm omnivorous. All humans are. Well, were."

"I see," Bonnie replied. "Well, we'll have lunch in a little bit. You should join us."

"I'd hate to impose," William tried to refuse.

"We're hiring you at such short notice, the least we can do is feed you," Bonnie countered. "Just follow Jack's instructions. He'll explain how to do everything." They walked to a half harvested field and William saw several bunnies, some wrapping up bales, some running farm equipment, and some were stacking hay bales. "Jack!" Bonnie called. A large rabbit turned from stacking the bales to see them and walked over.

"Hey Mom," Jack said as he walked over. "Who's this?"

"Hired help," Bonnie said. "Figure he can do something here?"

"How much can you lift?" Jack asked William.

"A lot," William replied. "Not entirely sure my limit."

"Well you can help us move the bales," Jack said. "Each bale is about thirty pounds or so. They need to go into that trailer over there. We can't bring the trailer over until we finish harvesting the hay though."

"Want me to run the bales to the trailer?" William asked.

"Sure, if you can," Jack said. William nodded and walked to the stack of bales. He lifted one, stacked it on top of another and lifted it with one arm. WIth the other arm he lifted another two and began to walk to the trailer. "Mom," Jack said with wide eyes. "Where'd you find this mammal?"

* * *

Chief Bogo walked towards the record room, several files in hand. These needed to be filed away and he could use the exercise for walking down to do it himself. He stepped into the room and opened one of the many drawers, looking through the many files for where this filed needed. However, one caught his eye. He lifted it out and his eyes widened. This file was for a double homicide. More specifically, it was the file for the double homicide he was going to put Wilde and Hopps on. What was it doing here? It had been on his desk not even twenty four hours ago. He pulled it out and leafed through it.

Two mammals dead, one a grizzly bear named Steven Pawlitz, and one tiger named Claude DeClaude. Both were completely drained of blood entirely and their death by blunt force trauma. The amount of force required for such a death was astounding, but that wasn't all. Not just blunt force trauma. Their heads were caved in completely and the only blood around them was what was outside it at that time.

"How the hell did this get overlooked?" Bogo muttered. Someone made a mistake? But thinking back over it, the file had been placed in a locked drawer of his desk when he left it to talk to the weasel. Someone had to have actively taken the file and tried to hide it. But why here? A better question, how had they gotten it? This would bear checking the video feeds.

* * *

William placed the last few bales on the trailer with ease and turned back to see that there weren't any others left to move. They were still harvesting hay however, but it was going to take time before they had a stack of bales to move again. William turned to Jack, "What next?"

"Well," Jack began. "I'd have you drive a tractor, but well," he looked up at William. "I'm sure you'd fit in the driver's seat."

"Fair enough," William admitted. He scratched his chin in thought before his eye caught a long fallen branch off to the side. "What about if I use a scythe?" He asked.

"I suppose that could work," Jack said. "But we don't have one that's your size." William walked over to the branch and pulled off his watch. The metal inside began to shift and worked its way down the branch, taking off any offshoots. It reached the end and stretched around making the outline of a scythe blade. It solidified, creating a inch wide ring that formed a scythe blade on the end of the branch. The leftover material then stretched up from the blade and branching along the outside curve, making it look like a rake as well. William held the new scythe in his hands and looked to Jack who was staring at him with amazement.

"Will this work?" William asked.

"Sure!" Jack said with a shake from his stupor. William walked to the next section of hay and swept his scythe through, the rake attachment holding the hay and depositing it behind him in a neat pile. William continued through, cutting through the hay and leaving a growing pile behind him. Jack quickly gathered a few other bunnies to help him pick up the hay and tie it into bales. While William was using a scythe instead of more modern tools, he was moving with a speed that rivaled the machinery. This would be finished in no time!

* * *

Chief Bogo starred at the video. There was nothing. Nothing at all. And not because he had imagined something, no, it was because the feeds were hacked. It wouldn't have been noticed except for one detail that Clawhauser had seen, surprisingly. The time on the monitor slipped. It was a fraction of a second, no more than half a second, but the extra long second was enough to catch Clawhauser's eye, who had helped the Chief gather the footage. Clawhauser was for sure not the one who had taken the file, he was with the chief when they had interrogated the weasel. Bogo was hoping that he could trust all the officers in this precinct, but odds were that someone had done it intentionally. The only questions were who, and why.

* * *

Jack looked at the bales of hay that were all placed in the trailer. They had finished in a record time, and though there had been a few scraps left behind during each baling process, the younger kits had deftly found and gathered most all of them. They had been behind schedule, but now, they were almost exactly where they needed to be.

A ringing on Jack's cell phone interrupted his musing. "Lunch is ready," Bonnie's voice said over the phone, "Make sure to let them all know. We'll be eating outside today."

"Sure thing Mom," Jack answered. "We just finished up here."

"Already?" Bonnie asked with amazement. "I thought you were behind!"

"We were," Jack replied. "But that mammal, William, he's good. Got us caught up easily. Where'd you find him?"

"Judy recommended him," Bonnie answered. "How'd he do it? I doubt he could drive the tractors."

"He built his own scythe," Jack said. "He just grabbed a nearby tree branch and some kind of metal flowed off his arm, and he made a scythe that he used to cut through the hay."

"A scythe?" Bonnie said with amazement. "That's quite the old fashioned way to do it. How fast did he cut through the hay?"

"Easily as fast as the tractors. We just had to have some bunny bale it and gather by hand. Sounds harder, but we got it done real fast. Whatever you're paying him, you should probably increase it."

"I'll talk to your father about it," Bonnie said. "But bring the others home, lunch is ready."

"Okay Mom," Jack said. "See you at home." He ended the call and turned to the others. "Lunch is on!" He called. The other rabbits cheered and jumped in the back of the pickup that was hooked up to the trailer. All the bales were stowed on the trailer, all machinery was turned off, and all of the rabbits were ready to go. A thought then occurred to Jack and he turned to William. "Um," he started. "I don't really know how'll we'll bring you back…"

"I'll keep up," William said with a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about it."

"I'll walk with you if you want," Jack said, trying not to be discourteous.

"It'll be fine," William replied. "I can use the exercise. Besides, it's not far."

"If you're sure," Jack said unsurely.

"I'm sure," William said as he pulled the nanosteel off the branch and stowed it again. Dropping the branch to the ground he yawned slightly.

Jack stepped into the driver's seat of the truck and turned the keys, letting the truck putter to life. As the truck began to pull away, Jack wondered if he had been right in letting William go on foot. It wasn't too far away, easily in walking distance, but he had worked hard for a while with the harvesting of the hay. He looked in the rearview mirror but didn't see William. Several shouts of surprise and laughs drew his attention and he saw many rabbits looking off to the side. A glance almost caused him to take his eyes completely off the road. William was right next to them. He looked at the speedometer. The needle was hovering around 25 mph, an attainable speed for a rabbit, but even so, it was hard to sustain for long periods of time. William had been keeping even with them easily. A glance out of the rear view mirror saw a few rabbits jump out, roll to their feet and start running alongside William and the truck.

Jack rolled down the window. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Hey! Let's race!" One called to William.

"I'm game," William said with an easy smile. "Just back to the house?"

"Yeah!" Another called. "Let's see you keep up!"

"You can eat my dust, cottontail," William goodnaturedly ribbed.

"Oh, you don't want to race a rabbit," Jack said with a smile. "But hey, why don't you get started!"

With that, the other rabbits, shot off at full sprint, going to their hardest sprint, showing the speed of rabbits. "One," William said. Jack raised his eyebrow in question. "Two," William said with a smirk. Jack shook his head. Was he seriously giving them a head start? "Three," William said before taking a deep breath. He then shot off like a bullet, speeding down the road and soon overtaking the slowest of the rabbits. Jack pushed down the accelerator and worked to catch up. William was passing the second rabbit, only three more, and they were the fastest ones. Jack looked at the speedometer. 40mph and rising. He still wasn't catching up to William.

William passed two more rabbits and the lead rabbit tried to increase his speed again. William smiled as he pulled up alongside the rabbit. "I did warn you," he called. "Eat my dust!" He then sped up even more, leaving a trail of dust behind him as he sped towards the house. Jack passed the last rabbits as they slowed down. He had to slow down as well, the road was ending. But William ran all the way to the house before slowing down and stopping in front of young kits. Jack stepped out of the truck and walked up to the house shaking his head.

The other rabbits soon came to the house, several breathing hard. "Damn!" The leader called. "How'd you go so fast?"

"Language!" Bonnie called, glaring at the offending rabbit who ducked his head and smiled sheepishly.

William chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "What are you?" A bunch of young voices began to clamor. He turned to see a multitude of young kits all staring at him as they walked forwards, slowly surrounding him. He slowly crouched down so as to be closer to their height. "Where's your fur?" One asked. Another stepped onto his leg and pulled aside his teeth. "Are you a predator?" They asked. Others began to climb on him and he fell back at the sudden weight added to his balance. The multitude began to climb over each other and him as they poked and prodded him, asking questions and talking to each other.

"A little help?" He called. Each kit wasn't very big, but there were hundreds of them. And hundreds of little kits were easily covering him. It also wasn't like he could throw them off of him. "Someone? Anyone?"

"Alright everyone," Bonnie's voice, though muffled by the multitudes of rabbits, called out. "Get off William." A collective voicing of disappointment echoed from the kits, but duly they all climbed off him.

William sat up and looked about. "And everyone said Gulliver's Travels were worthless," he muttered.

"Alright everyone, it's time to eat," Bonnie called. The kits all stampeded towards picnic tables while several adult rabbits sat on the grass or on benches with the kits. William looked around and saw plenty of vegetables and fruits. Fruit salad, sliced watermelon, green salads, carrot sticks, fresh fruits, various fruit pies, and plenty of other such dishes. There were also plenty of loaves of what he could only assume to be home made bread.

It was different compared to what he was used to, but all in all, it was a beautiful meal. He was surprised by a plate of food being handed to him. He looked down to see a female rabbit with two different colored eyes. One was a beautiful amethyst color just like Judy's, but the other was a startling electric blue. Her fur was gray all over with longer fur on top that grew rather long. It appeared to grow all the way down her back and also gave her bangs in front. This fur was a deep gray, almost black. All in all, she was similar to her siblings, but also very different.

"I brought you some food," she said simply. "Sorry, but I just grabbed some of anything as I didn't know what you prefered."

"It's fine," William said as he took the plate. "Thank you."

"So what are you?" She asked.

"I'm a human," he answered.

"Human?" She said disbelieving. "Never heard of that."

"Well I wouldn't expect you to," William said. "I'm the first one to be seen in thousands of years and I very much doubt that there are any others like me."

"So you're a thousand year old Mammal?" the rabbits asked incredulously.

"Well, my body is closer to twenty seven years old or so. Possibly a little older. I'm between twenty six and thirty years old," William corrected.

"So you're around my age," the rabbit said offhandedly as she popped a grape in her mouth.

"How old are you?" He asked. "For that matter, how old do most rabbits live?"

"Isn't that a rather personal question? For that matter, you don't even know my name," the rabbit countered.

"Sorry," he replied. "I meant no disrespect Miss…."

"It would be Miss Hopps," the rabbit said. "But the name is Kira."

"Well it's nice to meet you Kira," William said. "I'm William."

"Yeah, kinda figured already when Mom called your name," Kira said disinterestedly.

"Mom…?" William wondered aloud.

"We're all related in one way or another here," Kira answered. "Well, except for you. Everyone else is either siblings, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, or their children."

"That's a lot of rabbits," William mused.

"Yeah," Kira said. "But to answer your question, I'm twenty five. Most mammals, no matter the species live somewhere between sixty and one hundred."

"You guys live that long?" William asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, why?" Kira asked.

"Well, in my time, well, more accurately the time of humans," he amended. "Rabbits only lived for a year or two. An elephant lived sixty to seventy years, and most other mammals lived somewhere in between."

"Seriously?" Kira asked with a raised eyebrow. "Who knew."

The pair sat and ate in silence while William watched the family of rabbits. Kits ate and talked, some running about playing games while the adults ate and talked. A rather old rabbit armed with a walker shuffled over. He peered at William with tired squinted eyes, his fur a gray that only could come with age, and wrinkles with drooping skin in some places. "Well now Kira, who's this mammal?" He asked. "For that matter, what mammal is he? You lose your fur, fella?"

William snorted a laugh before he covered up his laughter with a cough. Kira rolled her eyes at him. "This is William, Grandpa," she said. "He's helping us with the harvest right now apparently."

"Well he is quite a big fella," the elderly rabbit said. "You asked your boyfriend to come help us I see." This time William had been drinking water and he began to choke as he inhaled the water with surprise.

"No!" Kira shouted hurriedly. "He's not my boyfriend! I've never met him before today!"

"Much better than your last boyfriend," the rabbit said, seemingly not having heard her say anything. "Didn't trust that rascal. Shifty no good lynx."

"He was a bobcat…" Kira drawled while William coughed, trying to clear his lungs.

"But I must ask where you found this fella," the elderly rabbit said, still not having heard a word Kira had said.

"Goddamnit," Kira muttered. "Grandpa! He's not my boyfriend! I haven't met him before today!"

"He must be a good worker," the rabbit continued. "He seems rather strong."

William cleared his throat. "Uh, sir," he finally began. "We're not dating."

"Well why not?!" the Rabbit asked, outraged. "A mammal like you should be fighting tooth and nail to be with a gorgeous rabbit like my grandaughter! A strapping young rabbit like yourself shouldn't be so timid! You're at least a few inches taller than her, you shouldn't be too scared of her!"

William paused as Kira dropped her head into her paws. "Uh sir," he began. "How tall do you think I am?"

"Eh, three foot six?" the elderly rabbit halfway asked. "I don't have my glasses on."

"I'm not even close to that," William said with an unsure smile. "I'm much taller. I'm also not a rabbit." He stood up and the elderly rabbit squinted harder as he looked up.

"Well," the rabbit said. "You're pretty big." He looked at Kira. "What kind of mammal are you dating?"

"We're not dating!" Kira shouted before standing up in a huff and stalking off, her ears bent back over her head in anger.

The elderly rabbit looked after her. "So you're not dating. Who knew?"

* * *

Judy and Nick led the three perps into the back of the cop car. The buck had tried to escape, but Judy quickly put a stop to that, chasing him down quickly and tackling him to the ground. A smirk from Nick, showing his sharp canines deterred the other two. As they drove back to the precinct, Nick hummed some rock song he heard Finnick playing as Judy drove. "What are you humming?" Judy asked.

"Eh, just some song I heard Finnick playing," Nick answered. "He's always enjoyed his music."

"He plays music?" Judy asked.

"He used to," Nick replied. "Was good at the guitar. Was also classically trained in piano."

"What happened?" Judy asked.

"His mother got really sick. He sold his instruments to help pay her medical bills," Nick said. "The money soon ran out, so he turned to hustles. He always made it legal though. He wasn't that hopeless."

"Did she get better?" Judy asked.

"No," Nick replied. "Last I heard she was still in the hospital."

"Oh boo hoo," the ram mocked from the back. "Filthy preds missing their mommy. All of you should be collared."

Judy and Nick fell silent in shock at what they heard. "What did you say?" Judy asked dangerously.

"Nothing," the ram said hurriedly, realising he had said too much.

"We'll see about that when we get to the station," Judy huffed.

"Nice job Maurice," the hare muttered.

"You know, rabbits have very good hearing," Judy said. That shut them up. The ride continued in silence, Nick no longer in any mood for humming.

* * *

Bogo and Clawhauser looked through the file together in Bogo's office. The information was little to none, but Judy Hopps had worked with less information and found what was happening under their noses. If she could do it, they could do it too. "Should we check with forensics?" Clawhauser asked.

"Not yet," Bogo said. "The only ones I can think of that are completely trustworthy are you, me, Hopps, and Wilde. Those are the only ones that are completely trustworthy that we know of. While I would like to think that the others are all trustworthy, we must understand that it is possible that they are not trustworthy."

"Aye aye Chief," Clawhauser said unthinkingly.

Bogo stared at Clawhauser. "Wilde's rubbing off on you."

"What?" Clawhauser asked. "Uh, I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Yes you did," Bogo said with a small chuckle before looking back at the file. Something was off.

* * *

Judy glared at the Buck in front of her. He was being stubborn. Too stubborn. Finally she threw her paws up with a huff and stepped out. "Damnit!" She growled to Nick. "He's not talking at all! Please tell me you had better luck with the hare."

"The hare talked plenty," Nick said. "But all he said was to let him alone, not to hurt him, and other such statements. I think he was really scared of me."

"Which leaves the ram," Judy growled. "Did you get the records?"

"Tried," Nick said. "Couldn't find them. I asked one of the other recruits to look for me as I had to start interrogating the hare."

"Well, let's get the files," Judy said. "We need those for anything else." A quick glance showed that there were three officers in the halls, each keeping track of the prisoners. "We'll be right back," Judy said as she walked towards the records room.

* * *

"How is it that we couldn't find any of the records?" Judy snarled as she walked towards the front desk. Maybe Clawhauser could help them. Strangely, the front desk was empty. However, three files sat on the desk. A closer inspection showed that they were for the mammals that they had apprehended.

"Uh, Carrots?" Nick asked. "Why do they say deceased?"

"What do you mean?" Judy asked. She glanced at the files. Deceased. And the date was… "Today?" She wondered aloud. "Why would they be dead… today…"  
Nick and Judy looked to each other with wide eyes as the implications set in. They raced down the hallways, dodging other officers to get to the holding rooms. The sight that met them was disturbing to say the least.

An officer lay on the floor with labored breathing. A polar bear, his white fur stained red. The officer held his chest, trying to stem the bleeding. Another officer, a new recruit panther lay unmoving, her throat torn out.

Officer Grizzoli lay unmoving on the ground, a cord tied tight around his neck. Quickly Nick ran to the fallen officer and deftly untied the cord. Judy quickly notified the chief over her communicator and asked for an ambulance. Nick let out a gasp of relief as he saw Grizzoli's chest start moving up and down.

Judy looked in the holding rooms and almost threw up. Inside the first room, the decapitated body of the Buck lay slumped against the table, blood pooled around it while the head was hung on the wall with a knife through the head. The second room held the hare, who was hung on the wall by his ears, a knife through both. His chest and stomach had been torn open, the entrails hanging out all the way to the floor. The eyes were removed, leaving bloody gaping holes. Judy was almost too afraid to look in the last room. Steeling herself, she looked inside. The once white wool of the ram was now dyed red, but still much of the blood pooled around the body that was mutilated beyond recognition. The face was torn, slashed, hacked to pieces, the hooves crushed and broken. Bones stuck out through the skin and wool of the ram, the limbs twisted at awful angles.

"Chief," she gasped into the communicator. "You really need to see this."

 **A.N. Woah. Okay, that got much darker than I expected for this story, but it didn't seem right to try to censor it. Because of this, I've changed the story rating to M. Sorry for all those that found this particularly gruesome, but it had to be done. Please read and review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N. Hello all you lovely people, I'm so sorry that this chapter has taken so long to get put up. I've been really busy for a while, with school, then work, then school again. But now, I'm back, and I've managed to get another chapter out. Also, I've tried to do my research in regards to the idea of the crawlers, but if I'm incorrect about something, please let me know. Thank you all for your patience. Please read and review. NOTICE! BLOOD AND GORE AHEAD!**

The screaming sirens of the ambulance got quieter as the ambulance pulled away. Officer Grizzoli would live. The polar bear was less likely to live. The panther was pronounced dead on scene. The buck, ram, and hare were all obviously dead. Judy turned and strode back into the station. "C'mon Nick," she said in a monotone.

"Woah woah woah," Nick said as he stepped in front. "We aren't going anywhere yet, Carrots."

"We need to go check the tapes," she argued.

"No we don't," Nick argued. "Not yet." He placed a paw on her shoulder gently. "We just saw one of the most gruesome scenes that I doubt almost any other officer has seen."

Judy nodded slowly and leaned against Nick. "How are you taking this so well?" She asked quietly.

Nick didn't answer at first. Finally he opened his mouth. "I've been on the streets a long time. You know how my youth was, among other things. You remember how I did a few deals for Mr. Big, right?" Judy nodded. "At one point, some gang tried to uproot the Big family. They attacked one of the families that the Bigs were close friends with. A family of Hedgehogs. They were slaughtered."

"How come that wasn't on the news?" Judy asked.

"It was years ago," Nick answered. "But from what I remember, Mr. Big was furious. He made sure the police were never involved, the news never alerted. He had the entire gang killed. And even then, I have no idea about what really happened." He sighed. "The Big family is a crime family, but they protect their own, and they help the police system much more than anyone realises."

Judy took a deep breath. "Alright. We need to go see those tapes." Nick sighed. He knew he wasn't going to stop Judy from looking at those tapes. That was her job, and his as well. But he didn't have to like it.

* * *

William looked watched as the kits played in the fields, playing tag as he finished his food. He looked up as Jack walked over to him. "So," Jack said as he bit into an apple. "You said you're a human?" William nodded. "Are all humans like you?" he asked.

"No," William answered. "Most humans wouldn't be as physically capable as me, or for that matter, even move close to as fast as you guys."

"Really?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," William replied. "I'm genetically modified and enhanced. I was a soldier."

"Wow," Jack said as he sat down. "So what were we then when you guys were around?"

"Animals," William replied. "Humans were the only really cultured organism."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Do you really want to know?" William asked. Jack nodded. William sighed. "Alright. Just don't freak out, or tell the younger kits. I don't want to give them nightmares."

* * *

Judy and Nick looked at the screen with bated breath. "Hopps," Bogo said quietly. "I don't think you're up for this."

"No," she countered. "I can do this. I will do this." She moved the large mouse to bring the video feeds up. She turned back the feeds. It wasn't long before the bloodied images of the rooms were replaced with the footage of the pristine rooms and the mammals in them. The hallways were also in view now and all three officers stood there like they should be, not in the back of ambulances or heading to the morgue. She paused the feed.

Bogo leaned over top of her to get a better look at the screen, his glasses making a rare appearance. She clicked play and watched. Nothing. There was nothing strange. Then it happened. Officer Grizzoli grasped his neck and stumbled around while the other two officers rushed to his aid from the unseen assailant. The polar bear stumbled back, blood gushing from his chest. Grizzoli slumped to the ground and the panther spun to the ground as a spray of blood emanated from her throat as she hit the floor. No mammal was seen however.

"What the hell happened!?" Bogo harshly snarled through gritted teeth.

"It's like a ghost," Nick muttered. The door to the first interrogation room opened and the group looked to the other monitor. The buck looked up at the open and then closed door. Then the screaming started. A tear in the flesh from the still chained buck opened down his front, letting his entrails fall to the floor. Then the head was separated. It was simply not connected anymore. It was lifted and pinned to the wall with a knife out of thin air. The body slumped forward onto the table and the door opened and shut again.

In the second room, the hare was pulling on his cuffs as hard as possible, but was unable to move. Then they broke. The hare was being lifted up straight into the air by his ears, struggling fruitlessly. Then the hare was slammed into the wall, and another blade flashed into view as it stabbed through the hare's ears pinning them through to the wall. Then there were two spurts of blood as the hare's eyes were gouged out by the unseen assailant. The hare's paws flew to his eyes as his torso was slashed open from his neck to his groin. The entrails spilled out, coils of small intestine hanging from his body as blood poured out.

The officers were frozen as they watched the door open and shut again before moving to the camera of the third room. The ram was pulling as hard as he could, and the cuffs seemed to be stretching. The ram's wrists were bleeding, rubbed raw and cut by the cuffs as he pulled on them. He jerked and flailed as his wool began to darken into red. The ram struck something and there was a brief splatter of blood that flew from the ram that splattered over the invisible assailant, revealing the location of the assailant. The ram's head froze and then slammed into the table, leaving a couple teeth, and a puddle of blood. Again, the ram's head was slammed. Then, the head was left down. Suddenly, the ram's horns were shattered. Then gashes tore through the face and head. Then the hoofs smashed. Then nothing. Then the body began to jerk, like it was being beaten. Bones broke and pushed through the skin, limbs twisted at awkward angles, and finally, stopped. The blood splattered phantom opened the door and left.

"They're covered in blood," Bogo said quietly. "Where'd they go?" Judy didn't move, she stared at the screen. Nick moved his paw to the mouse and moved to the next camera. The blood splattered figure walked to the restroom and went inside. "We don't have cameras in there," Bogo muttered. The door opened again, but this time they were greeted by empty air again. "They washed off the blood," Bogo grumbled. He pulled up a chair and sat down heavily in it as Nick paused the playback of the tapes.

The four officers looked at each other without clear direction. Finally, Nick spoke. "What now?"

* * *

Jack listened, entrapped in the stories of history that William laid out. Stories of empires that rose and fell, wars that determined the fate of the world itself. Movements that were hated, movements that were loved. Summaries of these events were all that William could give him reasonably, but they were enough.

"Jack," Bonnie called as she walked over. "Have you seen Peter?"

"No mom, I haven't," Jack replied.

Bonnie put her paws on her hips and looked around. "I swear if he's at the woods again."

"The woods?" Jack asked. "The Deep Woods?"

"Unfortunately he's started having a fascination with them," Bonnie said.

"It's swarm season," Jack said slowly. "The Deep Woods are always dangerous, but during swarms they're especially bad."

"I know that," Bonnie said. "I remember having to tell you that several times."

Jack winced, but stood up. "I'll go look for him Mom, don't worry."

"What's the Deep Woods?" William asked.

"Crawlers live in there," Jack said. "And during swarm season they move about much more to hunt."

"Crawlers?" William asked.

"Spiders, scorpions, other bugs, but much bigger," Jack explained.

William froze. "How big?" He asked. "The size of you?"

"Yeah," Jack replied. "Though some would be closer to your size." He saw William looking off into the distance. "What is it?"

"I'm just trying to figure out how that would have happened," William said. "As you all evolved, it seems like you grew bigger, and that would have made insects more competitive, possibly, growing larger maybe…" He trailed off. He stood up as well. "I'll come with you." He walked to his duffle bag and pulled out his weapon, only the base piece, sticking the pistol like weapon in his waistband. "Just in case," he said to Jack's questioning look.

The two walked to the truck and Jack hopped in the driver's seat. William sat down in the bed and leaned over the side watching in front of them. "Hey! Wait up!" Jack looked in the rearview mirror as William turned to see Kira running towards them, a shotgun in her hands. She leaped into the passenger seat and glared at Jack. "You're heading to the deep woods, and didn't bring anything?"

"We're in a hurry," Jack replied, turning the key in the ignition. "Hold on back there!" He called to William before pushing down the gas. The truck moved forwards, beginning to pick up speed.

William looked around and could see nothing but fields for miles. "Where the heck is this 'Deep Wood'?"

"Hold on!" Jack called as he made a sharp turn that tilted the truck slightly. The truck went down a dip in the road and slowed to a stop in front of a tunnel that the truck couldn't fit inside. "Everyone out. The truck's not gonna fit."

"This is the deep wood?" William asked. He saw a few other trucks parked by the tunnel. "Do people come here often?" He asked.

"No," Jack replied. "This is the Shallow Forest. The Deep Wood is farther in. This is a popular hunting spot."

"Hunting?" William asked. "For what?"

"I told you how some insects grow large here," Jack replied. "How do you think the predators eat? Fish and insect protein. As such, hunting for a large bug is pretty common out here. They also breed quickly so there's no limit on the baging amount. You can hunt as much as you can carry."

"So what bugs are in here?"

"It's a swarm season, so there's lots of crawlers that moved out of the Deep Wood out here," Kira said. "The small insects are all over the place, so the larger bugs can eat them, and as such, the crawlers eat them. The crawlers are cannibalistic in some cases though, eating the smaller crawlers. They also live for a rather long time."

"How often do they breed?" William asked as the group walked into the tunnel.

"The crawlers breed on a swarm cycle that alternates with the standard swarm season," Jack replied. "They also only have a small group of eggs each time, which is very good for us. If they had huge sets of offspring like their miniscule counterparts, we'd be overrun in a couple of days."

"Do people often have problems with crawlers?" William asked as he made sure his pistol was set to lethal, though the safety was on.

"Not often," Kira replied. "There's usually only a death from them once every few years."

"Well, that's comforting," William snorted. "Giant bugs that can eat mammals. Only one dies every now and then. I'm so glad I'm not entomophobic."

"What?" Jack asked.

"Scared of insects," William answered. "And we only had to deal with the small ones."

The group walked out the other side of the tunnel and William was greeted by a forest with large trees that stood tall and proud. Sunlight streamed through the leaves to the ground and a stream ran by them, wild blackberries growing well alongside it. "Why couldn't we see this before?" William asked.

"The Shallow Forest only grows down here," Kira answered. "Up on the fields, it just looks like another field. However, it's a forest that grows at a much lower altitude. Flooding down here is a big problem during the rainy season." Jack nodded in agreement.

"Now where to look for them?" Jack mused.

William stopped and bent down, looking at the earth. The chip helped him identify the indents in the ground as rabbit tracks, but he couldn't tell whose they were. "Do many rabbits come down here?" William asked.

"Not usually," Kira answered. "Most hunters down here are larger prey or predators. Large prey simply because they enjoy it as sport and can get a relatively good price for the protein, and the predators for food. Why?"

William stood up and looked into the forest. "I just found rabbit tracks."

* * *

Bogo paced while Clawhauser idly drummed his paws against the table. "Is there any way we could track them?" Judy asked.

"If we had infrared cameras, possibly," Bogo said. "But we don't. We're limited to our visual perception of them."

"So it's just a dead end?" Nick asked.

Bogo stopped. "Perhaps not," he muttered. He walked over to the desk and placed a file on the desk. "This file was not solved. It was one that was put in not even a week ago. I had planned on giving this case to you, but it suddenly went missing without my notice, and I just found it in the records room with other solved cases."

Nick looked inside and his eyes widened as a dry smirk took its place on his muzzle. "So you think that someone wanted this hidden, so if we solve this, we'll catch who moved the case, and possibly the same person who silenced the loose ends that we had in custody?"

"That's exactly what I think Wilde," Bogo said. "Now, we need to do this with precision. The only four I can absolutely trust are in this room right now. As much as I want to trust the other officers, we can't be sure, and that strange, invisible assailant could possibly overhear. So," he moved in close. "Don't talk about this case in the precinct. If you're talking in the car, great. In public, I'd rather you were very careful. This is to be quiet."

Judy and Nick nodded. "We won't let you down Chief," Judy said with a salute.

Bogo stood with a smile. "I know you two won't."

* * *

William and the two rabbits walked down into the forest, following the tracks. "Was Peter the only one missing?" He asked.

"I think so, why?" Jack asked.

"There's four sets of rabbit tracks," William replied.

"The trio?" Jack asked Kira.

"Probably," Kira replied. "They're always following Peter around, especially when he's doing something stupid.

"At least Benjamin isn't with them," Jack countered. "I saw him sleeping in a hammock back at the house.

"Who's the trio?" William asked.

"Florence, Molly, and Charlotte," Jack answered. "They're thick as thieves, and always getting into trouble."

"They especially enjoyed the story of Peter Rabbit," Kira continued. "They still do."

"Peter Rabbit?" William asked. "The one with Flopsy, Moppsy, and Cottontail?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Jack asked.

"That's a children's story from the time of humans," William answered. "I wonder how it's changed over the years."

"Well, it's a horror story," Kira answered. "And the trio used to go around getting people to call them by Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail. They eventually grew out of it though. Thank heavens for that."

William looked ahead and saw a rustle of movement moving through some long grass. It was moving fast. He motioned for the others to quiet and drew his pistol, keeping it pointed down at the ground, but with the safety off and ready to fire it ended up being a crawler. Three little bunnies ran out of the grass and William breathed out slightly. He put the safety back on and holstered his weapon.

"Florence! Molly! Charlotte!" Kira scorned them. "What are you three doing here?"

"It was Peter's idea!" One said. William looked at them and couldn't find any differences. They were identical. All three of them looked exactly the same.

"He dared us to!" Another cried.

"And now he's fallen into the Deep Wood!" The third bawled as tears fell down her face.

"Well it serves him…. What did you say, Charlotte?" Kira asked.

"He's fallen down into the Deep Wood!" She sobbed.

"Where?" Jack asked quickly.

The trio led them to the edge of a cliff. As large as the trees had been before, these down in the Deep Wood were massive. Not just massive. "They're redwoods..." William breathed. "Shit! They're Redwoods!"

"What's the problem?" Kira asked.

"An attempt to make a growth serum to aid with the feeding of the excessively large populace," William said. "We experimented on insects first as we wanted to work with smaller animals in case it worked too well."

"Are you saying it worked?" Jack asked.

"The experiments were cryogenically stored in the Redwood forest. The tectonic plates have shifted enough that this is that forest. The experiments must have eventually gotten released and interbred with each other, creating the crawlers," William hypothesised.

"Alright, save Peter first, make guesses later," Kira called as she lay down at the edge, looking down. "Peter! Are you down there?" She listened carefully.

"I'm here!" A young voice called out. William looked to see Peter sitting on a large branch about twenty feet down the cliff, but another forty feet off the ground below.

"Don't worry!" Jack called. "We're coming to get you!"

"I've got some rope in the back of the truck," he said to Kira. "I'll be right back." He then ran back the way they came, the trio following him as fast as they could.

William looked around, assessing the situation below them. A low rumble emanated through the air. "What was that?" Kira asked.

"How big do the spiders get?" William asked.

"Usually around the size of a fox. Maybe the size of a deer," Kira answered.

"Some spiders can vibrate objects. It's their mating call," William said. "Whatever made that sound is way bigger than a deer."

"You saying a crawler made that sound?" Kira asked.

"If it's large enough and was vibrating a tree? Absolutely," William remarked. "I'm going to get him."

"What?" Kira turned to see William taking a few steps back as a blue material covered his body under his clothes while a metallic substance covered his hands. "What the hell is that?"

"High adaptability combat suit made from nanofabric and nanosteel," William replied. He took off at full sprint, leaping off the cliff and towards the trunk of the tree. The nanosteel on his hands formed into claws, digging into the wood as he dragged down the trunk. He slowed to a stop a couple feet above a large branch. He disengaged the claws and fell to the branch, landing on all fours. Carefully, he began to climb down to Peter, moving from branch to branch. The rumble emanated through the air again and William saw the tree next to theirs vibrate. He moved faster, dropping down to the branch which shook slightly. The sound happened again and this time, it was their tree that vibrated.

William didn't move. All his instincts screaming at him not to move. He waited a few seconds. Then he saw Peter shift and stand up. This moved the branch a little. Not much, but enough that William froze. He motioned to Peter to be quiet. The young rabbit froze and looked at William. His ears perked up as he heard something. William listened carefully and heard a tapping sound. Something was taping. On the tree. He looked over the edge and saw the crawler. A spider the size of a horse was climbing up the tree stealthily, eight beady eyes staring up at them. William wasted no time and raced to Peter as fast as he could and keep his balance. The spider began moving faster as it sensed the vibrations of it's fast moving prey. "Climb on my back," William told Peter as he lifted the rabbit onto his back. The nanofabric split into straps that crossed over Peter's back providing a safety harness of sorts to hold him securely.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Peter asked worriedly.

"Yes," William said as he shifted the nanosteel into grappling hooks and cables on his hands. He swung them around before launching them at the top of the cliff wall, twenty feet above them. As they sailed up to the edge, he had to wait for the metal to shift again, burrowing into the ground, giving more support. He risked a glance behind him to see the spider moving along the branch towards them, shaking the branch more and more as it got farther out from the trunk.

"You better be ready up there!" William called as he jumped and pulled on the cables, the nanosteel shifting to pull him up the lines. There was a clicking sound behind him as the spider's chelicerae snapped just short of his ankle as the legs reached to snag him and Peter. His feet slammed into the cliff wall and he began to steadily climb upwards, using the cables to pull them up as the nanosteel on his feet formed claws to dig into the wall. Quickly they climbed higher, moving well out of reach of the spider. As they finally scaled the edge of the wall, William looked back to see the spider spinning it's webbing around the branch and dangling down. The webbing was easily an inch thick and held the spider's weight easily. It then climbed back up, and moved back along the branch. "No fucking way," he muttered. He quickly lifted Peter off his back as the nanofabric released him. "Kira, take Peter back to Jack. Keep the shotgun, just in case."

"What are you going to do?" Kira asked.

"The crawler's not happy to have lost a possible meal. It's coming up," William said as he turned back to see the spider push off the branch and swing to the cliff face where it snagged a hold of the wall. It began to climb up and William drew his pistol. "I'm going to hold it off at least. Likely going to kill it."

Kira looked at him and grabbed Peter's hand. "Don't die."

"I didn't wake up less than a week ago to die today," William replied with a smirk as he aimed down the sights at the crawler, aiming for its eyes. "Now go."

Kira nodded and ran with Peter, back the way they came. William fired into one of the Spider's eyes, bursting it. It made a strange screeching sound and charged ahead towards him. William managed to get two more shots off before the crawler made it over the edge. He threw himself to the side as it charged at him, trying to bite him with its chelicerae. He raced away at a full sprint, moving much faster than the spider, which could not catch up, but saw it turn towards where Kira and Peter had run. "Oh hell no!" he shouted as he fired again at the spider's backside. The shot lodged in the thick exoskeleton and did not deter the spider. The chip in his head notified him that the exoskeleton was much too thick to be damaged by his pistol. The chip helped outline possible weaknesses in the spider. Joints, eyes, and mouth were the best targets to aim for, though the spineret might also be a viable target.

First he had to keep the spider's attention on him though. He charged back at it, and the spider turned to face him. He took a leap over the spider's swinging legs and fired a single shot that was assisted in targeting by the chip. Another eye was destroyed as he landed, and dropped to the floor to avoid the swinging legs. William needed to keep close to the spider so that it's attention was focused on him. Otherwise the spider might go after Kira and Peter again.

Unfortunately, at this point, he was stuck under the spider that was trying to bite him and or step on him. The chip helped him avoid each strike, but he was hard pressed to get another shot off. Finally, he was unable to dodge and the spider successfully sank its chelicerae into his leg. He cried out in pain and shoved the pistol into the spider's mouth and fired three times as he felt the injection of a mixture of venom and digestive juices into his leg. The spider shrieked and released him as it scuttled away, dripping haemolymph onto the ground. It turned back to William and clicked is chelicerae together as it took notice that he was injured.

"Well," he breathed. "This sucks." He breathed in as pain lanced through his leg. "I wasn't hoping to use this, but I guess that's how it's got to be." He slowly stood up as the spider waited for the venom and digestive juices to destroy him. "Codeword: Luna." He could see the confirmation request from the chip. "Confirmed."

Immediately he felt something change. Something inside him stir. Pain ripped through his body briefly and then subsided as his genetic enhancement kicked in. He began to grow, tearing through his clothes as he outgrew them, the nanofabric shifting to cover his torso and legs, leaving his head and arms bare as they grew. His face elongated, his ears moved back, his teeth sharpened. His arms grew more muscled as thick fur grew over his skin and claws grew on his hands. His legs shifted into a digitigrade fashion, forming paws. His thumbs remained and his eyes were still his, but he looked like a werewolf of old myth and legend. The nanites worked in overdrive along with his enhancements, destroying the venom and digestive juices, and working to quickly repair the damage to his body.

"Fuck yeah," he growled in a much deeper rumbling voice. "Time for round two." He shot forwards and slammed his fist down into the spider's cephalothorax driving it to the ground, but still the exoskeleton held up. He leaped up and stomped two feet down onto the spider's body and grabbed the front two legs and pulled. There was a horrible cracking sound as the joints broke and the legs came off, dripping haemolymph all over. Having removed two legs, he punched down again and again, leaving cracks in the exoskeleton as he repeatedly bashed the spider with his enhanced strength and speed. The spider managed to roll over, tossing him to the side as it stood up and tried to flee. "Oh no you don't," William snarled as he sprinted in front of it and slammed his arms down in a two handed strike that drove the spider to the ground and left an indent in the exoskeleton as well as burst a few more eyes. The spider shuddered and tried to rise again but William was having none of it. He brought his arms up again and slammed them down with a primitive roar that echoed through the forest as he slammed them down through the exoskeleton, shattering it completely and covering him in the spider's haemolymph. The spider didn't move after that. It was completely destroyed in a way that no being could survive.

William stood there breathing heavily as he heard running feet behind him. He turned to see Kira and Jack and a group of other bunnies all with various tools and weapons. "Hey guys," he rumbled. "You missed the party." He stumbled to a tree where he sat down as his leg wasn't completely healed yet.

"William?" Kira asked.

"In the flesh," he answered. "Don't worry, I'll be back to normal in a minute or so. Just have to have the damage to my body repaired."

The two nodded as one other bunny checked the carcass of the spider. "Dammit," he cursed. "That's Redtail's missing stock."

"The one he lost years ago?" another asked.

"Yep," the first one said. "Look at the mark there," he pointed to a brand on the abdomen. "That's his alright."

"What, you guys breed those?" William asked.

"We don't," Jack replied. "But silk is a well sought after commodity and some people farm it."

"Huh," William replied. "I'll have to see that sometime." The chip gave him notice that his leg was fully healed and he gratefully stood up. "Codeword: Daybreak." The effects were instantaneous. He shrank, his legs returned to normal, his face as it was, the fur disintegrated as fast as it had grown. "I could really use a stiff drink right about now," William chuckled as he smiled, revealing the sharp teeth as they reverted back to their normal form.

"I'm just glad you're all okay," Stu said as he stepped forwards. "You stepped in and saved my son. We're in your debt."

"What kind of person would I be if I stood by?" William asked. "Come on, it's all fine and good. Shall we head back to the farm? I plan to give you your money's worth for my labor."

* * *

Judy listened as Nick read through the file in the cruiser. "Two victims; Steven Pawlitz and Claude DeClaude, a bear and tiger respectively. Each drained of blood besides what was around them on the ground, and their head caved in."

"Any cameras?" Judy asked.

"None," Nick replied. "Bodies found at 10:09 on a saturday night, deemed dead for three days. Were found in an alleyway in one of the seedier parts of town."

"Was anything taken from them?" Judy asked.

"No," Nick answered. "They still both had their wallets, keys, and phones."

"Occupations?" Judy asked.

"Both in white collar office jobs. No criminal records for either of them," Nick continued. "Both unmarried, though DeClaude has a sister."

"Anything on her?" Judy asked.

"Nothing," Nick replied. "Married with three kids. Works as a school teacher. Nothing to lead to anything shady." He looked up out the windshield. "These two mammals had no connections to criminal activity whatsoever. Just normal mammals. Why them?"

"Opportunity?" Judy asked.

"Maybe," Nick mused. "They don't seem to have been targeted."

"I'm more concerned about what caved in their heads and drained them of blood," Judy confessed. "The amount of force to cave in their skulls would be rather high. And it seems they were killed with one blow."

"That's some ridiculous power," Nick conceded. "So we're looking for a large mammal? Larger than a tiger? A rhino perhaps?"

"No," Judy replied. "If it had been a rhino or an elephant, they're heads would be crushed, not caved in. It has to be something smaller that caved it in."

"That's only if it's bare paws," Nick pointed out. "Perhaps a weapon was used? A bat or crowbar?"

"That would make sense," Judy answered. "But that puts our range of mammals to look for much longer."

"Judy Hopps," Nick said with a snarky smile. "That sounds like profiling."

"It's evidence," she defended. "I mean, the odds of a mouse or a weasel doing it is remarkably low, don't you agree?"

"Yes, but I've also seen how strong a bunny can kick. Could a bunny have done it?"

"Possibly," Judy admitted. She sighed. "Let's face it. This is all speculation. We have no clue what mammal could have done this."

"So we're back to square one?" Nick asked.

"We never left square one," Judy answered as something caught her eye. "Hold up," she muttered as she pulled the cruiser to a parking spot on the side of the road. "Did you see that in the alley?"

"See what?" Nick asked. Judy didn't answer, instead leaping out of the car and racing across the street to the alley. "Judy!" Nick shouted as he was forced to dodge cars to chase after her. "Dammit Judy!" Nick ran up to see her standing over a moose with blood pooled around his head. The head was caved in as well. "Holy shit," Nick muttered.

"Nick, radio the chief," Judy ordered. "We just found another victim."

Nick turned to speak into his radio when red caught his eye. He looked up to see a symbol painted on the wall in crimson. "Judy," he said. She didn't answer. "Judy!" he hissed.

"What?" She asked exasperatedly as she turned. She froze. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers." A smiley face was painted on the wall in what could only be assumed was blood.

"Wilde to Chief," Wilde called into the radio. "We need a forensic team down here immediately."

 **A.N. Well now! That's finished! Hope you enjoyed how the story is progressing, and I hope you all enjoy reading this story. I'm trying to update this story and others as well, and also have to deal with my usual life outside, so while updates are sporadic, I am trying to keep writing consistently. Anyway, thank you all for being so patient, please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N. Hello all. I'm back at it again with the chapters. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, or at least, I assume you did. If you guys ask questions, I'll answer you, but you guys need to understand I won't answer questions that will come into play for later chapters, because I HATE spoilers. Anyway, time for the next chapter, so please read and review.**

As officers took pictures of the bodies, Judy and Nick watched, each taking notice of the different aspects of the murder. The moose, Anthony Ler seemed to have no connection to the other victims, in fact, had almost nothing of notice in his file. Went to community college, no family besides his mother in a nursing home, a nine to five job in tundra town, no large funds of money, nothing. His wallet was still there, as was his cell phone.

"Did we find anything?" Judy asked one of the forensic team.

"So far nothing," the bobcat answered. "But we haven't checked the cameras yet."

"Cameras?" Judy asked. "What cameras?"

"That car has a dashcam," the bobcat replied pointing to a large vehicle. "It's got two tickets. It's apparently been parked there for several days. It may have video evidence, but we need to ask the owner of the car."

"Who's the owner of the car?" Nick asked.

"Apparently, an elephant by the name of Archibald Trunkington," the bobcat said.

"Do we know his residence?" Judy asked.

"You'll have to ask someone else, I don't know about that," the bobcat replied. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Hey, we got something," another member called.

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"We a few bits of fur that are not from a moose," the otter called back.

"Bag it," the bobcat stated. "Find everything we can before we start running things." He turned to Judy. "We'll let you know if we find anything else."

Judy nodded and began walking back to the car, Nick close by. "That was very quick." Nick said.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

"The blood wasn't dry yet," Nick answered. Judy just looked at him in confusion. "When it dries, it's much more brownish. It was still bright red. Whoever did it had just done it when we saw it."

Judy's eyes widened. "You're right!" She looked at Nick. "They could still be around here!" She shot for the door.

"Hold up Carrots!" Nick called. "We're not going to find them if we just go running around. Ask Clawhauser to look on the live street cams." Judy nodded and picked up the radio, intending to speak.

Instead, a deep rumbling voice crackled over the radio. "Did you like my art piece?" the voice rumbled. "It was a little rushed. Not my best work. I didn't even get a picture of it."

Judy and Nick stared at the radio with wide eyes. "How the hell is he on our radio?" Nick asked.

"I'm very good at what I do," the voice said. "That's how I'm on your radio."

Judy glared at the radio. "Can you hear us?"

"Oh yes I can," the voice rumbled. "And I can see you too. But you'll never find me. Not that you won't try." the voice laughed. "In fact, I'll give you a hint as to where I am right now. Like a bird, I am free, but with no wings to speak of. But like a bird, I have their view, the sun hanging above." The deep voice laughed. "You have one minute to find me before I disappear."

Judy dove for the door and Nick followed her outside. "He's got to be high up!" Judy said as she ran towards a fire escape only to be met by a group of reporters.

"Officer Hopps" they called. Each clamoring for attention, each asking about the murder.

"Move out of the way!" Judy shouted as she pushed through the crowd, Nick following after her shoving clamoring reporters out of the way as they struggled through the crowd, having a hard time moving through the mammals larger than themselves. Finally Judy managed to get out of the crowd, Nick close behind her as they raced to the fire escape. Judy leaped up on a trash can before jumping to the fire escape. Nick quickly followed and they raced up to the top. When they reached the top, the two searched the other roofs for any sign of a mammal.

Judy gasped as she saw a figure on a roof directly across from them. The figure was too far away for them to tell who they were, and there wasn't any way for them to get to the figure. "Shit! We need to get over there!" Judy cursed and looked for a way across. She saw several light poles. Each with overhanging beams.

Nick saw what she was looking at. "Judy, no! Bad idea!" He tried to convince her but Judy would not be deterred. She raced to the edge and jumped, landing on the poles and scrabbling for purchase on them. As soon as she had her balance, she ran as fast as she could along the pole, leaping to the next one. The figure didn't move. Nick cursed and ran back to the fire escape, running down it as fast as he could. As she leaped to the third and final pole, she slipped, grabbing it with her paws, barely, and had to pull herself up. Nick raced across the street, dodging traffic that honked and braked as much as they could. Breathing hard from his frantic run, he raced to the building's fire escape and quickly made his way up to the top.

Judy, having pulled herself up by now glared at the figure, running to make one more jump. She made it to the roof and stood. "You are under arrest," she huffed to the figure that she could see was wearing a hoodie pulled up, sweatpants, shoes, and a smiling mask, keeping it's hands in its pockets. Nick made it to the top of the escape and was now behind the figure. The figure didn't move, or acknowledge her. "Did you hear me?" She asked as she stepped to the figure. No answer. She poked it. It wobbled backwards and fell over, the mask falling off to reveal a stuffed generic mannequin inside the clothes.

"Where did he go?" Judy huffed as she kicked the mannequin. The duo looked around to see there was no one else on the roof.

Judy began to search the roof while Nick walked to the mannequin. He reached into its pockets. "Hey Judy?" he called. "You may want to come look at this."

"What is it?" Judy asked. Nick pulled out a stopwatch that was still going. It had just passed two minutes. "Those reporters slowed us down!" Judy angrily muttered. Is there anything else?"

"Dunno yet," Nick said as he went through another pocket. He pulled out a carrot pen just like Judy's. "The hell?" He looked at Judy. "Is this yours?"

"No," she shook her head. Nick turned it in his hands and was greeted by a smiley face drawn on it with crossed out eyes. It had the same recording and playback function too it seemed. It also had a message already able to be played.

"We need this on file." Nick said. "I don't think it will be replayed multiple times." Judy nodded and Nick pocketed the pen after putting it in an evidence bag, though at this point, his prints were already on it anyway.

"Anything else on this?" Judy asked.

"Not that I can find," Nick answered. "But we should bring it back just in case."

* * *

William watched over the roof of the truck as they drove back to the farm. The kits all sat in the back seats of the truck, Jack driving and Kira in the shotgun seat. A few other vehicles with various rabbits in them drove behind them. William was still clothed in his nanofabric as his other clothes had been destroyed by his transformation. As they got back to the farm, the rabbits piled out of the vehicles, the kits getting hugs from a relieved Bonnie as well as a stern talking to.

"Well," Stu said awkwardly. "Thank you for finding them," he gestured to the kits as he avoided William's eyes. "Especially with the crawler." He fidgeted.

William chuckled. "I'm not going to eat you Stu," he laughed. Stu flinched at those words as William laughed again. "Honestly, why would I eat you? You're much too old and tough." He joked.

Stu just gulped. As he looked fearfully at his family. "Who you calling old?" he asked, trying to get William's attention back on him. "I'm not that old and tough."

"Stu, I'm joking," William answered. "I'd never eat any of you." His stomach rumbled, startling Stu again. "Though I wouldn't be opposed to any leftovers you guys have from before."

"We have some of those," Kira called from the tables. "Now stop scaring my dad."

"That's a first," William chuckled.

"What?" Stu asked.

"Usually it's the dad doing the scaring," William answered.

Stu laughed at that, relaxing slightly. "Oh believe me I've tried with her boyfriends."

"Oh really?" William asked.

"I think that might be why she's dated preds," Stu laughed. "She doesn't think I can scare them off."

"Dad!" Kira shouted. This just provoked a new round of laughter from William and Stu. "Honestly, as nice as it is for you two to be getting along, I'd rather it not be at my expense."

William smirked and the two walked up towards the tables. "It's a dad's job to embarrass his kids sometimes. He's just filling his quota."

"I wouldn't say it's my job," Stu argued.

"Just a perk of the job?" William asked.

"Maybe a little bit," Stu answered. A couple shouts from the kits over by the barn drew their attention. Stu sighed. "I should check on that." With that, he walked off, scolding the kits that had started climbing hay bales, sometimes falling.

William chuckled and turned to see Kira toss something at him. He caught it and looked down to see an apple. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Kira blew it off. "I don't think there is going to be any more work done tonight. Daylight's almost gone and everyone's still getting back together after Peter and the Trio with their little fiasco." William nodded and took a bite of the apple. "So what are you going to do now?" Kira asked.

William shrugged and swallowed. "Dunno. I may just do some research on the crawlers."

"Why?" Kira asked.

"It's just strange. I have a hunch about what happened, but I don't have all the information about them."

"Well, if you want more information about them, we could head to the Redtail farm. They have a few pastures for them."

"You guys mentioned that the crawler was branded by them?" William asked.

"Yeah," Kira answered. "A few years ago, they lost one of their spiders. They had to euthanize the whole stock and start over so they could fix the pen."

"Huh," William mused. "I'd like to see this farm."

"Well, there's not much to do here I think," Kira stated. "I'll make sure with my dad, but then we can go."

"Cool," William answered as he took another bite. As Kira walked off, William watched the horizon, trying to pick out where the fields ended and the shallow and deep wood began.

"We're clear to go," Kira said from behind him, drawing his eyes from the horizon.

William nodded and climbed into the back of the truck as Kira started the truck. As they began to drive off, William thought about the possibilities that a silk export could mean. Did wool still have a possible export value? How about dairy products? He had seen cheese being sold, so there had to be dairy, or at least some kind of substitute. But what about the descendents of their dairy cattle? The ones that had been genetically modified to always be producing milk? Did that modification still exist in this time? If so, then wouldn't that be a valuable product? So many questions that just came from the existence of a silk trade.

As he looked off into the dying light, the chip automatically helped to maximize his night vision along with the genetic enhancements. As they drove, he noticed a large farmhouse, much larger than the Hopps' home. There were fields all around them and in them, William could see large caterpillars that he could only assume to be silkworms. As Kira pulled off the main road and into the driveway, William was greeted by several mammals, all of them at least having a pistol in a holster if not a rifle in hand. "That's some tight security for a farm," William mused.

The security didn't move to stop them though. They seemed more concerned about keeping something in than keeping anything out. William noticed that a large majority of them were larger mammals, several of them being predators, and of those predators, most were canines.

As Kira parked the truck, William slowly stepped out of the back, not wanting to startle any mammal with a gun and possibly a twitching trigger finger. "Have any of you seen Mr. Redtail?" Kira asked a nearby wolf guard.

"He's at one of the behemoth enclosures," the guard answered pointing towards a large building.

"Behemoth?" William asked aloud. "I'm guessing that they're very large moths, is that right?"

"Yeah," the guard replied. "It was molting day yesterday." Several gunshots echoed through the air at that and William jumped to a ready position, ready to move in any direction at a moment's notice.

"Settle down," Kira huffed at William. "They're just putting down the behemoths."

"Putting them down?" William asked.

"Once they go through metamorphosis," the guard explained, "The moths starve to death because they can't eat. So they'll just die off anyway, but if we don't kill them, they'll breed too fast and then we'll have way too many silkworms."

"I guess that makes sense," William mused. "Then what do you do with the carcasses?"

"They go into the crawler pit," the guard answered. "They feed the crawlers, which we harvest for insect proteins and silk, just like the silkworms for silk."

"So this entire farm just grows insects and harvests silk?" William asked.

"Yep," the guard replied. "There are a few other meats that are exported though. Crab and lobster is a good export."

"I see," William answered. He then noticed a fox walking towards them, rifle in hand and a cigar in his mouth. His fur was carefully trimmed, though the fur around his muzzle was starting to grey, giving him an older appearance with several similarities to having a beard. One eye had a milky film over it along with a scar over his eye, but the other was a deep hazel color.

"Well look who it is," the fox laughed. "A little bunny and a stranger." He stuck his paw out for a shake. "Name's Kenny. Kenny Redtail. And you are?"

"I'm William," William answered.

"You already know me you old rascal," Kira rolled her eyes.

"Well, what brings you here?" Kenny asked.

"I just have some questions about your livestock," William stated. "And with it, I might be able to give you some information too."

The fox looked at him with intrigue. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"First off," William began. "What is the silk that you sell used for?"

"It's used for a variety of products," Kenny answered. "From clothing to bandages to rope, the silk we sell is very profitable, especially the spider silk, which is good because it's much more dangerous and hard to obtain."

"That makes sense," William acknowledged. "Are there products made from wool or dairy in the market?"

"There are," Kenny answered. "Wool is a product used for various textile products, though it isn't nearly a widespread as cotton or silk. It simply is seen as a bit of a faux pas for use as clothing or rugs, but it's a profitable business that many sheep take advantage of, shearing their wool anyway so they sell it for a profit."

"So they sell it, but it's not socially acceptable to use it?" William asked.

"Yes and no," Kenny answered. "It's similar to wearing another mammal's fur, which is the main problem, but the only mammals that actually care about it aren't even sheep. They simply get offended on their behalf because they think it's wrong." William nodded in understanding. "The dairy however is an entirely different monster to understand."

"How so?" William asked.

"To put it simply," Kenny continued. "It's an invasion of privacy of sorts. It's very useful in products and is used in ice cream, cheese, yogurt, and even just as a drink. It's proven to have nutritional benefits, but it's strange because only bovines of a specific ancestry are able to produce reliably."

"Really?" William asked.

"Yes," Kenny answered. "And with other mammals understanding where dairy comes from, they seem to self insert themselves and decide that since it's a massive invasion of privacy for them, it shouldn't be an industry."

"I'm sensing a but in there," William prodded.

"But," Kenny continued with a small grin. "Deeper research into the genetics gave the understanding that they constantly produce milk. They have to put it somewhere, and as such they sell it. Because of this, it's a strange topic that most mammals won't talk about because it's uncomfortable for them as well as it has no clear answer to most." Kenny grimaced. "I am included in those mammals. Now is there a different question you want answered?"

"Yes of course," William replied. "How many different species of crawlers are there."

"We don't know," Kenny answered. "There are only a few that I can think of. They don't have subspecies like their miniature counterparts. There is only one kind of spider crawler, not several hundred variations."

"So there is only one kind of crawler that is a spider, but are there other crawlers?" William queried.

"There are," Kenny answered. "Scorpions, centipedes, silkworms, caterpillars, and pillbugs are all different crawlers. Hive species don't seem to have a crawler counterpart, and most species in general don't have a crawler counterpart."

"Makes sense," William replied.

"How so?" Kenny asked.

"There is significant evidence that the bugs you call crawlers are the result of an extreme genetic anomaly that causes them to be much larger than normal, and with that, they became their own species, that through cannibalistic tendencies, cull the size of their population themselves," William explained. "As such, these crawlers are incredibly aggressive, long lived, and grow constantly."

"What makes you say that?" Kenny asked.

"How big are your crawlers?" William asked.

"We make sure to put them down before they get any bigger than a deer," Kenny answered. "They're simply too dangerous and we can't keep them from procreating any other way."

"And you lost one a few years ago." William stated.

"Yes," Kenny answered with suspicion. "Why?"

"Well, that one you lost, we found. It was much larger than a deer," William answered. "I'm guessing that's why you keep such tight security?"

"Exactly," Kenny stated firmly. "So it lived outside the pen?"

"Very well if the size was any indication," William stated. "How did it get out?"

"Another crawler, a scorpion, somehow made its way all the way over here and attacked the enclosure," Kenny explained. "It was before we reconstructed the enclosure so it was mostly chain link fence and ceiling. It cut through it with it's pincers and got inside. Killed three of our stock and wounded four others that died soon after the crawler was killed. The spiders swarmed the scorpion and eventually killed it, though one small juvenile spider got out during the commotion. We had to go and put them all down because of the breach. That's by law of crawler farming," he continued. "We found that we lost one and tracked it all the way to the Deep Wood. I wasn't going to send any of my workers in after it. That would almost be a death sentence. The odds of surviving a trip inside is very low. We figured to just cut our losses and put our efforts towards reconstruction."

William nodded at this. "I can understand that. However, I have one more question. How large is the industry that this farm is a part of?"

"Feeding predators is hard work," Kenny answered. "Especially because we're one of the few in the industry. We're a major part of the industry, with this being a large farm, but we only can get so much food for predators all at once. Silk is our major export, but it takes time to process it and get it ready for sale. However, it's a stable export, so I'm complaining. Silk always sells."

William nodded. "Thanks for answering my questions."

"Not a problem," Kenny said. "Would you like to see the enclosures? It'll give you a much better idea of what we do here than anything I could have said."

"Do we have time for that?" William asked Kira who had simply listened to the conversation."

"We've got plenty of time," Kira answered. "And to be honest, I'd like to see them too."

"Well, if you're both interested," Kenny said with a smile. "I'll show you around personally."

* * *

Chief Bogo rubbed his brow in frustration. Everything was falling to pieces all at the same time. They had had a drop in crime, but all the down time they had was now returned with interest. Hopps and Wilde were on the murder case, the human wasn't even in the city, and that damn weasel was paranoid while easily making Bogo feel paranoid. As he mused about the timing, his mind drew back into his talk with the weasel.

 _-Flashback-_

Chief Bogo placed an audio recorder on the table of a modest living room while Duke Weaselton sat in an oversized armchair, making him look very small. "I'm sorry about the conditions," Bogo apologized unapologetically. "This was the best we could do on such short notice."

"It's fine, it's fine," Weaselton huffed. "As long as I stay alive, you could put me in a dumpster."

"You keep saying that," Bogo stated. "Could you explain?"

"You know the saying don't you?" Weaselton asked. "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times in enemy action." He took a breath. "There have been more than three attempts on my life."

"Do you mind listing them?" Bogo asked.

"First was a bus accident," Weaselton said. "A bus I was riding didn't slow down at a stoplight, but instead continued going forwards. I was at the back, but I could see the driver pumping the breaks, trying to get them to work. The bus crashed, three smaller mammals died. I didn't stick around, cause I was avoiding you coppers, but I think the brakes were cut."

Bogo would need to look into the files to see if that was the case. "Second?" he asked.

"Motel I was staying," Weaselton answered. "I had just checked in, late at night, very few other patrons, but somehow, a fire was lit in my wall. They said it was 'faulty wiring' that started the fire, and somehow, every smoke detector in the motel was 'without batteries'."

"How does that attribute to an attempt on your life?" Bogo asked.

"Oh please," Weaselton scoffed. "What motel doesn't have at least one fire alarm at their front desk if no where else?"

"Any others attempts?" Bogo asked incredulously.

"At the train station," Weaselton answered. "I was waiting for a train when some mammal pushed me from behind."

"Pushed you?" Bogo asked.

"Yes," Weaselton stated. "Whoever it was pushed me almost into the tracks. I only didn't get hit by the train because a tiger saw me and snagged me by the collar. He didn't even ask for my thanks or anything. Just grabbed me by the collar, pulled me away, set me down and walked off."

Bogo was now believing that the attempts on Weaselton's life were real. Even if the other two could be accidents, the third would likely be a conscious choice. "And is that the last one?"

"No," Weaselton answered. "Two attempted 'muggings' but they had high quality weaponry that common thugs don't have the cash to get."

"What did they have?" Bogo asked.

"Each had a heavy duty knife like those from the military," Weaselton answered. "They also had pistols with silencers on them. Why do they call them silencers? They don't silence the gun." Weaselton asked.

"That's just the popular term," Bogo stated. "They're more accurately called suppressors."

"Well that makes much more sense," Weaselton said. "Cause they definitely weren't silent."

"Were there any more attempts?" Bogo asked.

"No," Weaselton answered.

 _-Flashback end-_

Bogo rubbed his face with his hands and idly checked his phone, which had a message from his wife. All it said was "Check the news" which he did with his phone. Looking online he saw pages of news stories about a murder. ZNN, Fox, local news channels, everyone was on live television talking about a murder. "Fucking hell," he muttered. He raced out of his office and to the balcony. "Clawhauser!" he shouted. "Get Hopps and Wilde on the comms! Now! I want to know what's happening right now!

 **A.N. Wow! Okay, I finished this chapter really fast. It's been a lot of information about the world, which I think to be rather necessary. Seriously, we know they aren't vegan, and mammals do produce plenty of different byproducts as well as we know that Mr. Big wanted a wool rug, and Nick gave him a skunk butt rug, so wool has to be something product wise. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, have a great rest of your day, and please review.**


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